The IG Chronicles: Gadget and Penny
by Lt.Gungirl
Summary: A brand new origin for them both. Penultimate is the world's first attempt at genetic perfection. Rick Barnes is a hero on the verge of death turned cyborg. They are an aging scientist's attempts at perfecting the human race. When he's killed, Rick and the scientist's apprentices will have to work against the government, rival scientists, and a group against altering humanity.
1. Projects Penultimate and Guardian

**I think I have a problem. I can't stop... Anywho, the usual 'I just own the names, OCs, and idea.' Started this last summer...Finally posting it. Please review and let me know what you think!**

She was biologically human, but she had no parents. Not that she was an orphan, but she was not conceived in the natural way. Her parents were a team of scientists, the womb she developed in was a highly advanced chamber, and her body was genetically manipulated to give her specific traits and strengths. The man who came up with her designs was an aging scientist-and her blue prints were his second to last designs. She was accordingly dubbed Project Penultimate.

But she was just the first part. His final blue prints were for a type of body guard to protect her. He went blind shortly after presenting these two designs to his apprentices and co-workers. So Professor Calvin McDowell had to become a background man in the work on his projects.

Though he could not physically work on the projects he provided the details and biological procedures they needed to complete the project.

Project Penultimate was nicknamed Penny for short and the work began.

Penny was to be a 'perfect human'; faultless in every way. Hundreds of men and women were screened. A perfect child required DNA from extremely healthy and good looking parents. But health and beauty were not the only requirements for the sperm and egg providers. They had to have blond hair and green eyes. McDowell would not allow for any other hair and eyes.

When suitable DNA was acquired the real work began. The DNA of both donors received gene therapy to ensure that the dominate genes would provide the proper appearance. After this the cells were forced into mitosis creating a 'perfect sperm and egg'.

They just barely managed to get the two cells to fuse. As the fetus developed the scientists manipulated her genes so that her immune system would be unaffected by bacteria or blood diseases. They had further plans to enhance her mental capabilities, giving her intelligence and logic. But that would have to come after she was developed enough to be considered a 'new born'.

Once the main work was finished they had another job to start. McDowell's final project blue prints were for a protector. It called for cybernetically enhancing a human, preferably a man who would protect Penny. McDowell feared that Penny would become a target for many factions and enemies. Her job, was to prove that humans could be without violence or foolishness. She would be the beginning of the new era of humanity.

With such expectation for her, she would indeed need a guardian capable to protect her from the weaker, passionate, and violent humans who would attempt to destroy her or use her for their own benefit.

So a normal human, a person who was still capable of fighting and extremely loyal to Penny, would need to be placed in a position to guard her.

* * *

At about this time in another part of the country a young police man was visited by a stranger. He was in the hospital, on life support, his life was quickly fading. The visitor came in quietly.

"Officer Barnes?" It was a female voice.

A pair of glassed over eyes opened slowly. They fell on a fit woman with red hair. He just looked at her for a moment. She wasn't familiar, though it was hard to remember a lot about anything in his condition. She hoped the machines wouldn't mess up recording their conversation. Barnes couldn't sign a contract so she had to have a recorded vocal agreement. She turned the device on and placed it in her jacket pocket crossing her fingers. It was now or never.

She looked him over, he was lying in the bed the way any hospital patient does, a breathing tube in his nose made a rhythmic hiss, and he was surrounded by a series of machines that all monitored and kept up his life. His grey eyes were dull and she could see just a hint of dark hair under the bandages. His face was exactly what she expected, lean and long with a shave shadow and a few laugh lines already forming around his eyes.

"I have a proposition for you." She began.

"Don't bother," his whisper was hoarse. "I'm a dead man," he added.

"Not if I can help it." The scientist replied.

"Who are you?" Rick asked quietly.

"Dr. Alex Lawrence. I'm here to offer you a second life." She answered with a smile.

"Let's here it." Rick whispered. He wasn't exactly fond of the idea that he was going to be nothing but a memory in a few more days.

"I'm with a team of scientists and we have an experimental cybernetic program we want to use on you. It'll be an overhaul on you, but we'll be able to replace all damaged organs, enhance the ones that are still functional, and reinforce your entire skeleton." Alex began gently.

"Why does this sound like the opening to the Six Million Dollar Man?" Rick interrupted. Alex stifled a laugh.

"Because that's basically what we're offering you." She replied. "Just with a larger arsenal of weapons than you'd expect." She added.

"And what's the catch?" Rick asked. He was having a hard time focusing on the conversation. The machines attached to him were noisy and the humming was also a tad like a lullaby.

"The catch is this. You use this new body for the purpose of doing what any good cop does. Protecting the innocent. In your case it will be a girl we've genetically designed and created in our labs. She's very important to us, and she is going to need someone to take care of her."

"You mean you going to turn me into a science project to play babysitter?"

"No." Alex replied. "You're going to remain an officer, but you'll also take care of the girl. She's going to change the future of humanity, and she has to be protected from anyone who sees her as a threat. You'll be in a parental role with her. The main idea is to keep her from being sheltered from the world, and to give her confidence in her unusual situation."

"Sounds like a movie." Rick mumbled.

"I need an answer from you. Yes or no?" Alex pressed. He was fading fast.

"Sure. Anything's better than dying as a piteous heap in a hospital." Alex pumped her fist.

"Thank you so much. I'll take care of everything right now." She shook his right hand gently before hurrying out the door.

Rick watched her leave and then his eyes closed. He didn't know if his answer was the right one, but it was the best offer he'd had all week.

* * *

McDowell's team was rather unsure of how to go about this new project. Several scientists believed that raising her bodyguard from an age close to Penny's would create an impenetrable bond. But others wanted a more mature candidate perhaps a big brother type figure. It was during a meeting when a new comer entered the room and threw out all there ideas.

"I'm Dr. Alex Lawrence, and both ideas on what age our candidate for Project Guardian should be are wrong." The men and women looked to the stranger. She was in her mid-twenties, had short red hair and soft brown eyes.

"May I ask what you are doing here?" The last man to speak asked.

"I'm Professor McDowell's first apprentice. I'm here to end this debate on who our candidate needs to be, Dr. Grant Jackson." She added his name as though she had met him already.

Everyone looked at her. No one had heard from McDowell in two weeks. Now that Penny was two months into development he had left them alone. "And why are these ideas wrong?" Grant asked.

Alex stood up and began to speak. "A bodyguard who grows up with her is hardly more than a playmate. He won't be able to be equipped with the tools necessary until he is responsible."

"I tried telling them that. I told them also that a bond between two similarly aged children could become extremely dangerous to both of them." Another man retorted.

"But how?" Grant asked as though he'd asked this very question a hundred times.

"Romeo and Juliet." Lawrence answered regaining their attention. "If the two are the same age, and grow up in this facility, then there's a chance they could form a romantic bond by sharing such traumatic circumstances. If we try to stop them from becoming romantically involved they could turn rebellious. Besides that, a child has no business guarding another child.

"A teenager is no better. A big brother figure may be more trustworthy as a protector, but many siblings are prone to extreme cases of jealousy. If a fifteen year old sees a toddler gaining high amounts of attention while he's ignored, despite the work we'll put into him, he could take it the wrong way. Betrayal among siblings is not unheard of. Also, he'll be at an age where following orders and being responsible just aren't his cup of tea." She paused letting this all sink in.

"The logical choice is a fully grown adult male." Scoffing and sighing began and people turned to their neighbors wonderingly. It seemed nobody agreed with that idea.

"I don't mean just any man." Alex snapped. "We need a man at the end of his rope. A man without a purpose anymore. A poor man. Someone who is possibly on the brink of death. A person who needs a second chance."

Grant looked up at her curiously. "And why someone like that?"

"Because, a man who is poor will not abuse power. He will be humble and would rather not be the one in the spotlight. A grown man, who perhaps has no family of his own will most likely take an adoptive stance towards Penny. A paternal bond between the Guardian and Penny will ensure she is taken care of properly. He won't fall in love with her, he won't be jealous of her, all he will want is to keep her safe. A man without a purpose anymore is willing to accept a gift offered to him. If we offer a new purpose, a new way of living he will be more likely to take the job and be honest about it. And someone on the brink of death will require medical work anyways. It won't be done without permission, he won't wake up to find himself transfigured and freak out."

Alex sat down at her seat. Everyone was looking at her. "You have someone in mind already don't you." Grant spoke up after the silence.

"Yes. He's already agreed. I'm flying him in as we speak. Don't look at me that way. I was given clearance by McDowell himself. He told me to find a man like that, and I did. You were all taking too long. He has to be ready by the time she's 'born'. Oh and one more thing. McDowell has put me in charge of Project Guardian. So you do what I say." Alex stood and left the room then.


	2. When Man Becomes Machine

Alex entered the O.R. with a pair of nurses on her heels. "Rick," she greeted with a smile. "I'm glad to see you're awake after your trip. Not having any regrets are you?" She stopped next to the occupied bed.

"Nah," Rick replied. "I'm just curious about how you plan to complete all the work in those designs of yours." She noted that since he seemed to be in a better condition the Midwestern twang in his voice was audible.

"It's all about installing the devices in a way that allows them to fold in on themselves. Most of the projectile weapons have telescoping barrels."

"Ah, well then let's go ahead and get this started. I've got someone waiting for me." He smiled weakly.

* * *

Project Guardian ran as smoothly as it could, their candidate Rick Barnes was a police officer who had been just too close to a mysterious bag in an airport when it exploded. He had realized it was a bomb too late, at the same time that a little boy came running by. He'd made a snap decision to tackle the boy to the ground shielding the child from the force of the explosion.

The child survived with some minor burns and scrapes. The hero officer was hospitalized with no available medical treatment that could save him. Until Dr. Lawrence visited him and managed to get him conscious long enough to agree to the procedures for Project Guardian.

She had only seven months to repair his damaged body and refit it with the weapons and tools that McDowell had designed for him. Lawrence worked night and day on the cybernetic replacements of his damaged organs and tissue. There was too much damaged tissue, and the work to replace it was costly. Twice she almost lost funding in the first month.

By five months in the scientists still watching over Penny had begun the brain stimulation. A series of steroids and hormones were injected into the developing brain tissue. Alex at this point had just begun to wake up Barnes. She had only two months to get him through therapy and adjusted to his new body.

* * *

"Now Rick, you've got to treat your thoughts a little differently. All your thoughts on physical movement won't be any different. Thinking to walk will get you moving, but if your thoughts wander at all, you'll lose continuity of thought." Alex was explaining. Rick, seated in a wheelchair was listing to her intently as she paced back and forth nervously.

"You're as jumpy as a June Bug." Rick commented with a smile.

"We don't have as much time as I would like you to have." Alex replied stopping to look at him. "Now please, pay attention."

"I'm all yours." Rick joked. Alex gave him a severe glare but said nothing.

"Thought Continuity is the most important thing you need right now. Distractions at this point will be adverse, and possibly painful. You have to keep your mind focused, now I know that's hard with neural interface, but you'll have to learn to ignore the Heads Up Display sometimes."

"Got it." Rick nodded. It'd been two weeks since his surgery, Alex wasn't quite ready to get him walking, but, she had no choice.

Rick gripped the armrests of his wheelchair and pushed himself up. He held onto the chair as he tried to get a feel for his legs. Surprisingly enough he still had a great deal of feeling in his limbs, they weren't as numb as he had expected. Alex had told him that the cybernetic prosthetics were designed with a series of nerve-like fiber optic relays allowing for smooth control and a sense of feeling.

He lifted first his left leg and then his right. There seemed to be no discernable difference between the legs he had been born with and the enhanced prosthetics. "Good, now try standing on your own." Alex suggested. She was watching him intently.

Rick slowly released the wheelchair and let his arms drop at his sides. He felt slightly unbalanced for a brief moment, and then his body seemed to adjust all on it's own.

"Excellent." Alex congratulated. "Now about walking…" she trailed off. Rick nodded and took a step forward. He kept his thoughts on his legs and the first step came out a little awkward and forced. He took another step. He was beginning to feel at ease. He took a few more steps. And as she had predicted his movements became less forced as he went.

"We'll have you ready for Penny in no time." Alex remarked with a smile. Rick snapped his head to her. He'd nearly forgotten about Penny. As his thoughts traveled from one task to another his legs locked up. His right leg was off the floor and before he could react he fell face first on the floor.

Alex winced. Rick mumbled a swear under his breath. "Ain't that just dandy," he commented as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Alex giggled and offered him a hand. Rick took it grateful for the gesture, but neither one of them was quite used to the increase in weight the cybernetic prosthetics had caused.

Alex and Rick tugged at the same time on each other. Alex wasn't strong enough and Rick ended up yanking her down onto the floor with him. He quirked an apologetic smile. Alex shook her head laughing. "Looks like we have a few long hours ahead of us."


	3. A Celebration to Remember

They worked almost 24 hours a day retraining Rick's body to walk, familiarizing him with the neural computer interface that allowed him control over the various weapons installed in his prosthetic limbs, and getting him used to the extra weight. But in a mere two months Alex managed to get him ready enough for his first encounter with Penny.

* * *

In the end McDowell came for the 'birth'. He was excited and talked with every member of the team. Alex introduced him to Rick. "This is the Guardian?" McDowell asked, "Describe him to me."

"This is Rick Barnes. We've just managed to complete his first round of therapy and training. He has black hair and grey eyes. He's not wearing the outfit you originally chose for him, but we thought we'd dress him up for the occasion."

McDowell stuck out a hand. "Pleasure to meet you Officer Barnes." Rick slowly took his hand.

"Thank you, for everything." Rick replied. He caught Alex watching him from the corner of his eye. "Something wrong?" He asked.

"You just look uncomfortable." She replied leading him somewhere else.

"Oh, it's the tux." Rick replied quietly.

"It isn't." Alex replied pulling him aside. "What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable about all the strangers here?"

Rick didn't answer. "You haven't tripped up once today." She assured taking his hand in hers. "Or are you scared of being her protector?" She asked.

"I don't feel ready to protect her." Rick admitted.

"It's ok. You'll have a few more months." She replied.

"But do I have to take her with me?" He asked.

"We want her to grow up outside of our facility. I will stay with you until she is old enough to not require constant care. She needs a home, somewhere safe and comfortable."

"But you're going to leave her alone with me?" Rick didn't seem very sure of himself.

"Yes. I know you don't understand much about Professor McDowell, but he requested that her childhood be as close to normal as possible. Even with a guardian like you. You're supposed to be the only person she trusts. And when she's old enough, you're going to tell her everything she needs to know." Alex replied.

"Yeah, that's quite a load to throw on a guy's shoulders." Rick replied smiling slightly.

Alex chuckled. "You'll get the hang of it." She lead him toward the short podium. "Now we have to get up there in time for the dedication." Rick paused and she turned to him. He'd gone pale. "You aren't afraid of saying hi real quick?" She asked.

"No." He shook his head and resumed walking after her. When they reached the stairs she climbed up them quickly her heels not hindering her steps. For a moment Rick watched her, clothed in a sapphire evening gown that followed her slender curves. He glanced over at the gathered crowd. He was acquainted with McDowell's team of scientists, but their family members, and the few press allowed in were strangers.

With a final swallow of his fear he made to climb the stairs. But in his moment of fear his mind had frozen, and he'd lost the connection with the digital part of his brain. His right leg refused to move, the rest of his body approached the steps. Thrown off balance he fell face first. Alex turned when she heard him gasp and sighed.

Luckily he caught himself by thrusting one hand towards the stairs sparing himself further embarrassment. Alex walked over to offer a hand, but they both knew that was a bad idea.

"Thanks, but I got it." he whispered pushing himself onto his knees. He straightened up and then stood, she shook her head slightly and Rick noticed that his right hand was still on the ground. The prosthetics that replaced his ravaged limbs were able to extend out to highly useful lengths. He blushed and retracted his elongated arm.

The two took their seats on the stage behind the podium. McDowell was just beginning to start his speech. "Welcome everyone, and thank you for coming. I am pleased to announce that after nearly two years we have completed our goals. We have not only proven that cybernetic prosthetics are indeed a feasible alternative, but also that humans can be born much stronger and smarter than any newborn alive today. Project Penultimate has been a dream of mine since I was a much younger man. And I finally get to see it fulfilled. Of course this would not be possible without my team of talented professors and doctors led by my first pupil Dr. Alex Lawrence."

This was Alex's cue and she stood up and crossed the platform as McDowell helped by his son returned to his seat.

"Thank you Professor McDowell," She began. "Everyone I am honored to be here to witness the birth of the future of our great race. Project Penultimate and Project Guardian are not about pushing the limits of scientific capabilities, but about securing a less violent future for this planet. Penny as we have dubbed her is going to be a logical, compassionate human who's greatest purpose is to begin the journey from our current state, to a grander more enlightened one. That is why on this day December seventeenth of 2018 we will celebrate not just the birth of a child, but the birth of the future of humanity!"

The crowd clapped enthusiastically and Lawrence smiled at them. "Now everyone without further ado let me turn it over to the master of ceremony our own Project Guardian candidate Officer Rick Barnes." She turned and waved him up to the microphone.

He stood up and walked quickly to it. Alex passed by him whispering "Good Luck" under her breath.

"Hello everyone," Rick began managing to keep an even tone. "First off I just want to say thank you to all of you for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I am grateful to play such a role on this grand day. But we're not here about me, we are here to welcome Penny into the world. As Master of Ceremony I declare this moment of eight fifteen pm on the seventeenth day of December in the 2018th year, the time of birth of Project Penultimate." At this moment he pushed a button on the podium. A curtain pulled away behind him revealing the Womb Chamber that Penny had developed in.

The crowd gasped and murmured. Rick looked at it intently, he had yet to see the child he was going to be guarding. She was visible through the slightly cloudy liquid she floated in. Where the umbilical cord should have been there was a synthetic bio-wire instead. The chamber was circular and large, with a curved glass top. The sides fitted into a metal frame secured with pressurized locks. There were a number of key pad panels and interface screens around it.

But it wasn't her chamber that made him stare. It was her tiny, unblemished body. She had her eyes closed and she was bald and naked, but she was innocent and helpless. Penny needed him. It was at this moment his new purpose sank in. She needed him, he needed her. Without her he would have died seven months prior to this great day. She had saved him, and it would be his job to keep her safe.

At this moment several of the press opened up their cameras revealing machine guns hidden inside. The leader fired at the ceiling grabbing everyone's attention. "You're all fools to play with humanity like that. To say that that child will be our salvation, that she will bring us to a new generation. You all should be locked away for insanity, and that 'Thing' should be put out of it's misery before it even learns of it's horrid existence!" McDowell and his son dropped to the floor. Some guests ran, some fell to the floor their hands over their heads. A team of security guards came forward, but the machine guns made them pause.

Alex pulled a small hand gun from a secret pocket in her dress. "You don't intend to harm the innocent people gathered here?" Rick stepped back from the podium keeping himself in front of the chamber.

"No. Our objective is to destroy the abominations you've created and to rid the world of fools who think they can play at being god!"

Alex shot the fluorescent lights above sending bits of glass raining down on the attackers. The guards used this to jump the two other crazed villains. The leader managed to evade the guards and fired at the stage. There were screams as the rata-tat-tat of the machine gun rang out.


	4. The FBI Welcomes You to the World

**I'm trying to make my chapters longer. Bear with me that I'm not following any traditional lines for Inspector Gadget fanfic. My plan is for things to come in slowly, not dragging it out, just a bit slower and less use of Fridge Logic/Brilliance. (I've been on way too much this weekend, sometimes I use it as a fanfic research tool-I can see almost all of the cliches a show uses and exactly how). **

**DUN-DUN-DUN And now the exciting conclusion of last week's episode! **

Alex fell a bullet lodging deep in her left thigh. McDowell and his son weren't so lucky they both had been peppered with bullets. Rick held his ground. McDowell's designs had provided for everything, including bulletproofing his skin.

Though Rick wasn't supposed to access it yet, he activated the weapons system for the first time. The targeting array locked onto the three terrorists and the dialogue box analyzed exactly the model and location of origin of their guns. The arsenal literally at his fingertips was impressive, his HUD provided a list of all weaponry, offensive and defensive. He settled for a submachine gun. A panel in his right arm opened up and a slender gun barrel came out it was mounted by a pair of supports with joints. His tuxedo, designed to be worn in any situation had secret openings in the sleeves, preventing the weapon from damaging the suit. The entire barrel expanded with a series of clicks to a full on gun muzzle. The back ended like a square box where the magazine clip was put in.

The gun was already loaded. He turned it on the leading gunman a targeting system built into his right eye locking onto the man. The attacker looked at Rick stunned. Before his shock wore off he felt two bullets burrow into his leg and arm. He fell to the ground, but before he dropped his gun he fired off a sporadic handful of shots.

An alarm went off as the bullets charged into the Womb Chamber. Several of the control panels shattered and sparked, a single bullet went through the glass missing Penny by inches. Synthetic amniotic fluid spilled out of the hole in the glass. Rick and Alex rushed to the chamber. Alex limped to the chamber and tried to access the controls from an undamaged key pad.

"I can't get in, it's locked down." She growled. She put her hands into the flow of spilling fluid and then lifted her skirt and rubbed her hands into the bleeding wound in her leg. "You'll have to find a way to break into it. But without harming Penny."

By this time police had rushed in and were calling for medical support.

Rick deactivated the gun and it disappeared back into his arm. He put his hands on the glass trying to think of a way to get Penny out. The HUD was giving him a reading on Penny's life signs but no solutions to the problem. Fluid splashed onto his feet, officers and paramedics created a cacophony of sound, and Alex typed commands furiously. "Hurry Rick! She doesn't have much time."

Rick snapped up at her and then glanced at his hand he ran through his list of weapons again. He remembered Alex telling him about a laser. He activated it and a beam shot from his finger, it struck the floor burning a hole just a centimeter from his foot. He pointed his index finger at the glass and slowly circled around it. Alex watched almost surprised by how well Rick was using his new body to do the job he was given.

She turned to McDowell, who the paramedics were covering with a sheet, and her heart dropped.

Her greatest mentor was gone, dead before he met his greatest work. It was his passion and his vision that had led her to work so hard. There was now a fear that their original plans for Penny and Rick would be altered.

She watched Rick lift the cut glass dome from the chamber and set it gently on the floor. There was only a third of the amniotic fluid left. Rick climbed up onto the machinery around it and then stepped into the pod. He bent down and carefully picked Penny up from where she was floating.

He stared at her form in wonder and straightened up. She looked perfectly normal, unlike her protector who was a fusion of man and machine. She was so tiny, helpless, and without a proper family. He knew what it was like to have no family, to be a ward of the state. But someone as special as her needed to have someone to take care of her. He finally understood why they'd chosen him, and why she would have to live with him. She needed one person, a constant in her life to give her love and guidance. Although a proper mother and father were still better in his eyes he couldn't argue that he wanted to be that figure in her life.

The bio-cord was still attached. It wouldn't release. "Dr. Lawrence," Rick spoke after a moment of stunned silence. "The bio-cord won't release."

"We've got to shut the system down." She replied limping towards them. "If we don't we'll lose her." She was sounding desperate. One of the officers who had been watching stepped toward her.

"Is there any way we can help?" He asked.

"Yes," Alex replied an idea dawning on her. "The circuit breaker. If you could access the indoor circuit panel and flip the EFA switch the bio-cord would release and Penny would be free."

"Where is it?" The officer asked eagerly.

"Down the hall out that door," Lawrence pointed. "Just enter the third door on your left. It's an entire room of power controls. Flip the EFA." She repeated the proper circuit as he nodded and ran for the door she'd shown him. "Just a minute Rick. When they flip the switch you'll have to release the cord manually. Just squeeze the two wings at the base and then pull, but gently." She explained.

"Got it." Rick replied placing his empty hand on the base of the bio-cord. "I'm ready and waiting." He looked at the infant and whispered, "I promise Penny, you are going to be ok. I'm going to get you out of this."

A moment later the Womb Chamber went silent and the lights went dark. "Now!" Alex ordered and Rick complied. He carefully pulled the substitute for an umbilical cord away from the infant. He dropped the cord with a thud. Lawrence tossed him a tool and he recognized it as the thing that nurses used to suck the fluid from a newborn's nose and mouth.

Rick carefully removed the remaining fluid from her nose and mouth. He held her in his left arm working quickly with his right, which felt stiff and throbbed with pain.

As he finished cleaning out her mouth, Penny took a gasping breath. Lawrence sigh with relief and Rick smiled. The infant then proceeded to cry. At this time Rick's right arm dropped limply and he immediately moved down from the chamber and handed the baby to Alex. Rick took a few wobbling steps to a chair not turned over by the excitement and fell into it like a heap. He groaned before passing out where he sat.

Alex had no time to revel in Penny's beauty. She had a mess to clean up. So the infant was passed to a member of McDowell's team to be removed from the scene. The police took down everything they could disappointed that Rick was not responding to any attempt to wake him. Grant, who was unharmed, had him moved to his room in dormitory to make sure he was ok. He'd only had his new body for a short two months. He probably over did it activating two of the built in weapons.

Paramedics did what they could for the injured and the deceased were taken away after photos and evidence were taken.

The leader of the murderers was very much alive. The paramedics were struggling with him on the floor where he lay when Alex limped over. The scientist looked down at him with disdain. "You deserve this." She whispered before kicking him in the crotch with her good leg. He quit fighting them then, and she walked away none of the officers said anything.

Alex was the last to get medical attention, they removed the bullet, surprised at how quickly her leg was already healing. "I rubbed the synthetic amniotic fluid into the wound. It acted as a stimulant to the natural healing process." Alex explained as they sewed the hole closed. Her muscle was damaged but she was more than likely to heal nicely.

* * *

A week later McDowell's funeral was held. After that Grant and Alex worked to do what they could. McDowell had promised the government a certain amount of his research. Now that he was dead they wanted it.

The feds showed up one day without warning. Rick saw them around the main building as he headed in for his regular therapy session. The men in black suits standing guard stopped him.

"Who are you?" One of them asked.

"Rick Barnes, I'm involved with Project Guardian." They looked at him a moment then at a handheld tablet. They let him pass without another word.

When he got inside he found Grant ready to rip out his dark brown hair. "What's happening?" Rick asked. Grant looked at him.

"They're taking what they want!" The scientist yelled. He face was red as he tried to stop a man from unplugging a laptop. "You can't do this!" Grant yelled in the younger man's face.

"Sir, I will use force on you." The blond man in the suit said strictly. Rick put a hand on Grant's shoulder.

"Hey, it's not worth getting arrested over." Rick warned. He had seen it before, even back in his small Kansas town. The government had a final say in these matters.

"But it's not theirs to take." Grant growled.

"You may be able to get it back, but you'll need a dang good attorney." Rick replied.

"Screw the justice system!" Grant snapped. The government men looked at him wandering if he would try something desperate and stupid.

Rick grabbed his arm before he could try anything crazy and pulled him aside. "Calm down. Jumpin' into a fight with those guys ain't gonna do nobody here any good." Grant nodded but his blue eyes were full of anger and distrust.

At this point Alex came into the room as fast as she could go carrying something under her lab coat. It was the size of a paperback book, but it was metal. Her slight limp drew attention to her immediately.

Grant and Rick met her half way across the room. "Is that?" Grant asked in a whisper trying to keep from attracting too much attention. She nodded motioning for Grant to cause some sort of distraction. He moved away quickly and went back to pleading with the blond. "This isn't fair!"

Alex waited until a few pairs of eyes were on Grant and then slipped the item into the pocket of Rick's baggy jeans. "That's the Master Drive. Keep it safe until the feds are gone." Rick nodded and walked back towards Grant.

"Dr. Jackson, why don't you come help me with Penny?" He asked. Grant pretended to think about protesting the thievery before sighing and walking away. They headed for the nursery room.

The Nursery was a large room designed specifically for Penny. Half of it had been set up like a child's nursery with a crib and a rocking chair. The other half was a downsized lab that monitored Penny.

A nurse was always in the room with Penny, at this point there were two federal agents trying to get a look at the computer. The nurse, a young biology intern, held Penny in her arms as she begged for the men to leave the computers alone. They weren't designed to hold anything but the information they took every day about Penny.

"Hey," Grant hissed. "This isn't on the list of searchable rooms. The Nursery isn't anything more than a fancy postnatal station." The agents turned to look at Grant and Rick.

"You aren't hiding anything in here?" The older of the two asked. His graying hair gave him a sagacious look.

"Of course not. This is Penny's room. Only her medical records starting after birth are kept in the data banks. I'll show you." He offered.

Rick walked up to the flustered girl. "Here Kim, why don't you take a break?" He suggested motioning for her to hand over the baby.

"Thanks." She handed him the sleeping infant, "She just went down for a nap after her bottle." Kim added as she hurried out of the room.

Grant unlocked the computer and showed the agents every file on it. After a few minutes one of them grew bored and came up behind Rick. He was holding Penny in his arms rocking her side to side very slowly.

The agent looked at the girl curiously, he found it hard to believe she would grow up to be a super genius who was immune to practically any disease known to man. "So that's the experiment?" He asked. It was the younger of the two.

"Her name's Penny," Rick corrected. "And yes, this is Project Penultimate." The agent reached a hand to touch her, but his partner cleared his throat sharply, and he dropped it.

"It's all clear." The senior agent decided after a moment. "We'll continue our search and seizure in another room."

The two agents walked out of the nursery, the younger glancing back at Penny one last time before the door closed.

Grant sat down in a chair. "Man they just won't leave anything alone."

"They'll search your underwear drawer if they have to." Rick replied. "Back in Kansas they took away a case we were workin'. The whole darn office was torn apart in a day and they left the mess for us to clean up."

Grant shook his head. "Hopefully they don't take everything. It'll be the end of FutureTech if they do." He looked at the nursery. "For Penny's sake I hope that doesn't happen. And for the sake of the employees. We go down and we put almost fifty people out of work." Grant unloaded his worries.

"I'm sure we'll land on our feet." Rick replied.

Grant just grunted in response. The two men sat in silence for a while. They remained unmoving until Penny woke up. She stirred and then began to cry. Her voice jolted them both into action. Rick stood in thought for a moment. He had no clue what to do. "Diaper change." Grant provided.

Rick nodded and then headed for the changing table. He'd never changed a diaper in his life. But he was going to try his darnedest. With some help from Grant he managed to get it done. By this time Rick had slipped the Master Drive into a drawer in the nursery. He hoped it would be safe until the feds were gone.

When Kim returned to her post the two men went ahead and left. They wanted to make sure Alex was ok, and that the feds weren't giving her any trouble. Rick had confidence they wouldn't over step themselves. Grant didn't believe they could control themselves. He was sure they were causing all kinds of trouble.

When they arrived at the main room federal agents were busy packing up the last few computers and anything else that looked important. Alex was sitting on a chair in a corner watching the event with a rather sour look on her face.

"Are you ok?" Grant asked. She shook her head.

"No. FutureTech will have nothing. They've taken all the robotic designs and our entire computer program. Not to mention all the blueprints for any of McDowell's ideas. And they seized my computer designs." Her voice was cold.

"You're calling a lawyer as soon as they leave." Grant guessed. Alex nodded. In the seven months since she'd returned to FutureTech, from a trip to a few science conventions, she and Grant had become friends.

"I hope that the courtroom decides to give you everything back." Rick whispered. "I doubt they'll give anything back if they think it's worth keeping. Even if a judge orders them to." Rick wasn't fond of the way these agents were tearing through the facility. It was like a band of thieves looting a mansion and taking every last thing of value.

He watched as entire computer banks were dismantled and carried out on wheeled carts. Each one was labeled with a blank sticker that an agent wrote on as he catalogued the items. Rick glared at them sourly. It wasn't everyday that the government decided to leave people alone and give back whatever they stole.

The federal agents were either serious with no emotion or very into their work. A few even whistled. This had been a bad idea around Alex. She'd snapped at a young agent who was whistling some show tune as he went through the contents of her desk. The young man had received a bottle of cold water on his head for his enthusiasm.

Rick watched them take everything apart. When they were done he went back to the nursery and despite the intern's protests picked up the sleeping infant and held her. He sat in the chair for a while with her in his arms. She was supposed to be his new purpose, but what happened if the government took her away too? He didn't want to think about it, so he decided to hold her in his arms for as long as he could. "I ain't lettin' you go," he promised. She moved her head but remained sleeping.

He just sat there looking at her until he fell asleep.


	5. Westward To The Mansion

As it would happen, the government wasn't forced to give back everything. Just the stuff not related to McDowell. Despite Alex and Grant getting back their personal work, FutureTech now had very little in terms of viable working research. Entire studies had been stolen, a contract they had made with the government months before had been seized, including all FurtureTech's already completed work. This left them without any subject matter to present to anyone who could hire them.

Within three months Future Tech was being closed. They sold as much of the now useless equipment as they could, paying out a final check to the laid off employees. Alex seethed in a perpetual bad mood. No one had the right to destroy an entire company like that. Except the government.

"I'll prove the government was wrong to take everything." Alex assured. "I still have the Master Drive, which puts us back at stage one, but at least it's something. I'm sure there's another company we can work with on cybernetics. When we sell these designs, modified just enough to be unrecognizable as McDowell's ideas, we'll make a come back they won't expect."

It was three am the day after they had sent everyone home. Alex, Grant, and Rick had spent the last few hours in a bar. Penny was with a couple of the interns that Alex was keeping on payroll for a few more weeks.

"You'll show them." Grant agreed. "We're down but not out!" He yelled into the empty lab.

"Hey mind keepin' it down?" Rick suggested. He'd never been one to hold his liquor well, and his head was already aching.

"Sorry." Grant replied back. He stumbled to a couple metal chairs and sat down with a huff. "One last night before we say goodbye." He mumbled.

"To a dark and mysterious future." Alex whispered. She was staring at the wall where the computer bank once stood. Her eyes were glazed over and she seemed to be viewing an altogether different scene. "I remember when McDowell brought me in here. Gave me the grand tour. I fell in love with this place."

"Didn't we all?" Grant asked.

Rick was quiet. He had that strange sensation deep in the pit of his stomach. The display in his right eye was flashing some kind of warning, but he was too drunk to read it.

Alex finally looked at the two men. "I think we'd all better get to our rooms before we start embarrassing ourselves in front of each other."

Rick nodded in agreement. "I'm gone." He replied starting for the door.

"Goodnight my friends." Grant called as he remained in his chair. Alex gave him a questioning glance and he shrugged. Obviously he was going to stay there for a little while longer.

Rick made his way fumblingly to the dormitory. His mind was so fuzzy that he was having a hard time keeping his focus. His legs locked up a few times on the way. He got to his room and sighed. He opened the door and walked inside. His head was starting pound now and he was sure he was going to be seeing the contents of his stomach.

He sat down on the bed. As he waited for the inevitable to come the sick feeling in his stomach cleared up. He wondered if it was just the calm before the storm, but after nearly forty minutes he found himself feeling rather well.

He knew Alex had told him that certain weaknesses he had before would no longer be a problem for him. Obviously getting drunk wasn't as dangerous, or as painful as he was expecting. He wondered if it was a good thing or a bad thing. His low tolerance for liquor had kept him out of trouble in some ways. Now there wasn't a reason to turn an invite to go drinking down.

Rick had been handling everything pretty well. He'd agreed to the surgery, and to all the extras that came with it. While he wasn't sure what they had done to him was totally ethical, he was finding some good in it. He never would have been able to react to the terrorist attack at Penny's unveiling before. One perk was that his reflexes were faster, he found himself thinking faster, acting faster, and he liked it.

Not to mention he had an impressive arsenal always with him. From everyday standard police issue weapons to military level tools reserved for spying or extremely dangerous missions. And of course there were some everyday tools. Things he would use on a regular basis.

Rick took off his shirt and looked at his arms. They reacted to touch just like any man's, and they felt real, but they were completely synthetic. There were a few scars along his shoulders where the synthetic skin had been grafted to his original flesh. His hands were masterpieces in their own right.

His hand looked exactly as it should. Lines on the palm, finger prints(an exact copy of his original prints), and wrinkles on the knuckles. But they were built to house an array of weapons and tools. Aside from the laser in his index finger there were things like screw drivers, lock pick, flashlight, lighter, glass cutter, pen, toothbrush, corkscrew, 22 caliber gun barrel, and the like.

When Rick had told Alex it sounded like the Six Million Dollar man he had expected fewer extras. His eyes had been fitted with several different lenses: Optical zoom up to one mile, infrared vision, night vision, and a camera/video recorder. Anything he saw that he wanted to record he could with just a thought.

Some type of hearing enhancers had been implanted into his ears allowing him to pick sounds from a mile out. He could also pick up any radio channel within the area from a private military channel to a couple kids' walkie talkies.

His skin had somehow been bulletproofed, including the flesh on his neck and chest. Alex had warned that his original skin wasn't flawless, high power guns and certain types of bullets would still pierce through.

And then the weapons installed in his arms like the submachine gun, a larger 50 caliber, throwing stars, tranquilizer darts, a sleeping gas launcher, and a pair of twin blades that came out of his wrists. There were also tools like a grappling hook, lasso, extensions that allowed his arms to telescope to unbelievable lengths, an oil slick, and an extinguishing hose.

His legs were designed to extend to great lengths as well erasing the necessity of a ladder, they were equipped with high output spring shocks that gave him the ability to bounce back up after landing. His feet hid a pair of rocket launchers. Alex told him she had to redesign the shoes that he would need to wear. She promised him they would come not only equipped to work with the rocket launcher but with the ability to change their function. The shoes would be able to change into skates, skis, and have magnetic and suction cup features for daring adventures he was sure he would never do.

Everything was a little beyond him. He didn't quite understand how Alex had pulled it off. The prosthetics was one thing, but all the extras were just astounding. Not to mention he was alive. That was the most important thing to Rick, that he was still breathing.

He put a hand on his bare chest. He could feel the activity from within, the gentle beating of his heart(which was half mechanical), an unfamiliar constant vibration, and the expansion and retraction of his lungs(one of which was a cybernetic replacement).

Now that he was a cyborg, Grant had told him that was the scientific designation, he felt a lot more alone than he ever had. But he had no complaints, he'd agreed to it. And since the government had been denied the right to seize either Penny or himself by the judge he could relax.

That's why they'd gone drinking to celebrate Rick and Penny's freedom. To face a life locked up in a government owned lab would have been a true torture.

Now he had to prepare for something more daunting than waking up after two thirds of your body was replaced with mechanical replacements, becoming the guardian and sole provider of a child.

Rick remembered his parents. They had died when he was a teenager and he missed them terribly. He wondered if they would have approved of his choices. Would they be proud he was a cop or that he had agreed to let a scientist turn him into a cyborg? He couldn't say.

He tried to remember how they had been when he was young. Their gentle loving ways and their strong discipline. He hadn't always understood his parents, or agreed with their ideas, but they had done everything out of love. He wasn't sure he could care for Penny that way. He just didn't know if he could go it alone like that, a father figure to a child born in a lab, with no wife to help him along. Heck, he hadn't even had a girlfriend to visit him in the hospital.

Rick laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, he pushed out his thoughts, ignoring the perpetual dialogue box in his vision, and slowly gave into sleep.

* * *

Rick looked at the building in surprise. When Alex had said she had a family estate he, Penny, and Grant could come stay in until they found work, he had imagined an average two story house. Not the sprawling mansion before his eyes. His HUD analyzed the plants and the materials the mansion was made of. He ignored the screen and glanced back at Alex. "This is yours?" He asked. He was just a little surprised by the place.

"My family has always had it's share of success. When my father died he willed all his assets to me. My mother was already dead, so I got everything. I put a lot of money into FutureTech." She finished quietly.

"Are you sure?" Grant asked. "I mean this is your home."

"Relax Grant." Alex put a hand on his shoulder. "I have plenty of room here for all of us. Besides, I'm sure Rick will be finding his own place here pretty soon." She gave the other man an encouraging smile.

"Yea, I hope your pull with the local sheriff's office is good enough to get me a start. I don't like to owe anyone anything. And I already owe you my life." He replied. Alex shook her head. She didn't understand the man's dislike of being indebted to anyone. He'd simply explained 'I'm from the Midwest, we don't like owin' people anything.'

From Wichita Kansas, Rick had been moved to FutureTech in Chicago and now to Reno Nevada, Alex's hometown. The city was quite a sight, tucked in a valley guarded by mountains on all sides and filled with towering hotels. But it was also smaller than Chicago, something Rick thought was a bonus. He didn't much care for huge cities filled to the brim with people.

Rick stuck his head back into the black SUV. Penny was still in the car in her car seat. She was just waking up. He unhooked the basket from the base and lifted it out of the car. "You wanna see it too?" He asked turning her face towards the mansion.

* * *

Alex's friendship with the Sheriff paid off and Rick was soon a police officer again. His experience and the heroism he was known for helped greatly of course, but Alex was able to pull strings so that physicals and any other medical examinations weren't needed. And of course Alex had to play with Rick's new uniform. She took it and fitted it with secret openings.

Rick found his only struggle with returning to work was feeling like the new guy. He was somewhat treated like a rookie despite his five years experience. The guys were like any cops, already good friends, set in their ways, and known for giving the 'new guy' some trouble.

But he had been through it once and knew what mistakes to avoid, and who to avoid. Although he knew there was no way to be on everyone's good side. A man in particular seemed highly unlikely to ever respect Rick, Greg Tanner. At some point Rick knew he'd have to face the guy in a fight, but he wasn't worried about himself. He was worried about causing a commotion, and accidentally doing more damage than was morally permissible.

His mechanical hands could crush a windpipe in just a few heartbeats. That was his biggest fear, causing reckless harm. So he laid low for a while, took the heat, and made friends the best he could. Of course he knew at some point that they would learn his secret, but for now he kept it to himself. The Sheriff and the Department Chief had to know these things, but Alex had told them and provided enough details to keep their curiosity down.


	6. The problem With Men

It was a year and a half before Rick was able to move out. Into a small home in a suburb just outside of the city.

In this time Rick had completed his therapy and Grant and Alex had gotten married. Rick had been the best man and was happy for his new friends.

The two men had become pals over the months, it was easy since Rick had no desire to go after Alex. Grant had taken a liking to Rick after he'd met him, even if he hadn't been the scientist's first choice, he was a well-liked man.

Rick trusted Grant, the man had helped salvage his life after all.

Penny was walking and saying a select few words. When Rick moved out Penny went with him as was Alex's original plan. Of course he had grown to love the child by now.

Alex had made sure the two were close, and she had enjoyed pulling the strings behind them. While she was sad to see them leave her mansion she also knew that it was time for things to move on.

Rick was glad to leave. He had liked the place well enough, but too much extra space made it feel just a tad too quiet and eerie.

Alex's younger sister Jessica staid with Penny during the day. She was well aware of her sister's experiments and was glad to watch the baby. Jessica worked as a licensed nanny so it was just like normal business for her.

She seemed to like Rick, perhaps a little more than he would have expected. But he didn't know if he was looking for anything beyond companionship. He just wasn't that suave when it came to women, not that he had no experience, just that he had made enough mistakes to have a reputation back home.

Not to mention Rick had just been dumped before his heroic actions in the Kansas City Airport. Though his memory was hazy, he knew it had hurt him deeply. It was possible he was a smidge gun-shy. So he didn't try to pursue anything more than a friendship with her.

* * *

For the most part Rick had made it under the radar. He didn't take the big cases alone, and he never made any dramatic arrests. Grant had complained that he was designed to be an indestructible hero, but Rick wasn't quite ready for any publicity.

Greg Tanner had other plans for the cyborg. The two were paired for a case. Rick managed to let Greg have all the power. He made the decisions, and Rick went along without a fight. But when the suspect took off Rick reacted in a heartbeat.

With his mechanical legs he caught up with the man in no time. Greg watched in surprise. Rick cuffed the man in a flash.

Once they had finished their reports Greg pulled Rick aside. "What was that?" His gruff voice was a low growl.

Rick shrugged. He didn't want to say anything that would piss off the other man.

"You trying to make me look like a fool?" Greg asked pushing against Rick's chest. When the intimidation tactic didn't force Rick to go backwards Greg took it as an insult. "Think you're tougher than me?" He asked.

"No." Rick replied. The screen in his vision was pinpointing Greg's weak spots.

TARGET ACQUIRED: LOWER ABDOMEN

SECONDARY TARGET: RIGHT SHOULDER

"I think I get it. You were waiting for the right moment to prove you're better than the rest of us!" Greg was glaring down at Rick. He had a few inches on him.

Rick almost decided to show Greg just a touch of the truth. But he wasn't prideful, so he sighed. "No Greg. I was doin' my job. I'm a cop jus like you."

"Yeah, well don't do anything unless I tell you to." Greg snarled.

"I don't take orders from you." Rick replied quietly. He was done with Greg and his macho man behavior.

"What?' Greg asked. He took a swing at Rick's head. But the smaller man deftly dodged the blow. Greg's fist punched through the drywall. Bits of plaster fell to the floor as the man grunted and yanked his hand free. Rick had already sidestepped the man and faced him from behind. Greg turned back to him and glared. "Only a coward would dodge a punch." Rick grimaced at that. He was trying to spare Greg some broken bones.

His HUD screen was going off like crazy and it almost distracted him. He kept one eye on Greg and focused on the scrolling information. He knew all of Greg's weak spots. Not to mention he had an incoming attack warning. This time he took it. He closed his eyes as Greg's fist smashed into his jaw.

There was a sickening snap of bones and a yowl of pain. Rick opened his eyes. Greg snatched his hand back and examined it. His index and middle fingers were already turning red and swollen. Rick felt a slight twinge of pain along his jaw.

"You should get those looked at." Rick suggested. He hoped the pain of a few broken fingers had killed Greg's anger. Nope. A booted foot swung up towards his gut. He jumped just out of reach and brought his hand down in a swipe that forced Greg's leg back to the ground.

Rick was trying not to kill the man. One wrong move and he would be admitting to a jury that he had accidentally killed a fellow police officer. That sure wasn't on his list of future accomplishments.

Holding the injured hand against his shoulder Greg tried for another punch, this time to Rick's gut. Rick blocked the coming hand and as a snap reaction made a chop at the base of Greg's neck.

The bigger man dropped to his knees in surprise. "How?" He asked. All he had seen was a few blurs here and there, and he hadn't lost a fight in years.

"I'm not as fragile as I look." Rick answered. "Now go get yourself taken care of. I suggest we both forget the incident ever happened." He wasn't in a mood to explain to the Sergeant how his jaw had broken another man's fingers.

Greg snorted in revulsion but nodded. Either he was going to agree or put a spin on the story. Either way, Rick was going to have to answer some questions he'd been avoiding.

* * *

To his horror, Greg blamed the entire incident on him. Rick came into the Sergeant's office ready to defend himself.

"So," Sergeant Hanson began, "What exactly went down last night?" Greg was in the office as well, his fingers set and his hand wrapped. His glare could have killed Rick if it were possible. Hanson's usually genial composure was dour. He loathed any internal trouble.

Rick had already made up his mind. He was going to give away his secret, to make sure the truth got out. He offered Hanson an SD card. "If you watch this, I won't have to answer a single question." Hanson and Greg looked at it in question.

Hanson took the chip and put into his computer tower. As the computer's auto play screen came up Greg made a gesture behind the Sergeant's back that made Rick only more resolved to finally coming clean.

Hanson opened the SD card's folder and scrolled through the files. "Which one?" He asked. Rick pointed to a video file that was simply labeled with the date of the previous night. Hanson double clicked on it and the three men watched the screen intently.

At first there was only blackness with Greg's menacing growl. "You trying to make me look like a fool?" The screen suddenly changed to show Greg shoving whoever was behind the camera. The screen was blemished by a dialogue box and several other digital information graphics. There was a small red flashing 'REC' at the top right and a blue targeting lock on Greg's stomach. In the dialogue box the text read 'WARNING! THREAT RECOGNIZED: Evasive Action Suggested.'

Hanson paused the video and looked at Rick. "Barnes, what is this?"

Rick swallowed a lump and looked the man square in the eyes. "That video was recorded during the fight. I activated it when Greg started to get violent."

"You dirty…" Greg began, but Hanson spoke faster.

"This so called video was taken at what, eye level?" Hanson asked. "There's no way you were wearing a camera on your head without Tanner knowing." Hanson was known for his observations. He'd calculated the view of the film faster than Rick had expected. And now that Hanson wasn't worrying about the fight he was suddenly interested in Rick.

Rick's cheeks began to get warm. "That's just it sir, I wasn't wearing a camera."

"Then how?" Hanson snapped. He sounded like he was suspecting the recording was a fake.

"I'll answer that question just as soon as officer Tanner leaves the room." Rick replied.

Greg was about to protest when Hanson nodded. "Tanner, out." He ordered. Greg walked towards the door. He gave Rick one final warning glare and then left. When the door was closed Hanson turned to Rick. "Ok Barnes, spill it."

"Sir, the camera is in my eye." The room went dead silent. Rick didn't know what else to say, and Hanson was at a loss for a response. He was staring at Rick like he was crazy.

"Please call the Police Chief and Dr. Grant and Dr. Lawrence." Rick whispered. Because of her title, Alex had kept her maiden name.

Hanson looked at him. Obviously he was trying to decide if Rick was being honest, or if perhaps the two officers were playing an elaborate prank. After a moment of thought he stifled a laugh. "You're serious?"

"I'm not lying." Rick replied calmly. He remained neutral despite how embarrassed he felt.

"I'll give them a call." Hanson sighed. He picked up the phone and dialed the Police Chief's number. Rick left the room. He didn't want to eavesdrop, and besides, he needed to make sure Greg wasn't terrorizing his desk.

His worries were confirmed when he found Greg upending the basket of incoming paperwork onto the floor. Rick sucked in an angry breath. This was no time for beating around the bush. "Hey!" Rick announced in a surprised tone. "What are you doing?"

Greg smiled. "Thought I'd do you a favor."

Other officers were starting to gather, even the suspects and victims in the room were watching. "Don't." Rick replied coolly. "Jus leave my desk alone."

Greg laughed. "You gonna boss me around now?"

"No. I'm warnin' you." Rick answered.

"What are you gonna do?" Greg jeered.

People were watching intently now. Either two officers were gonna have an old fashioned knock-down-drag-out-fight or a higher ranking officer was going to stop them before it happened.

Standing nearby the Deputy was watching, but he wanted to see what would happen between the two. Tanner could use some discipline, and Barnes seemed to know what he was doing.

"Cop Fight." Someone in the back of the room announced gleefully. Most likely it was a suspect that had been arrested and was still in the process of getting booked. A few people chuckled at this, but most frowned. A fight between fellow police officers usually resulted in low confidence from the citizens. And by the way a few were watching they were already beginning to lose faith in the precinct.

Greg stomped over to Rick. "You just try another stunt like last night." He growled. Rick shook his head as if he were pitying the other man.

"Listen Tanner, I ain't your enemy." Rick tried to be reasonable. As much as he wanted to punch Greg, he at least wanted to try negotiating. He didn't believe it would work, but then again, stranger things had happened in his life.

"The hell you aren't!" Greg roared. Wiping some stray saliva off his nose Rick put his right hand on Greg's shoulder and pushed. Greg stumbled backwards into the desks.

"That's disgustin'." Rick commented as he shook the spit off his fingers.

The Deputy stepped closer. He was intrigued by how Rick was handling himself, but he was worried that something would go wrong. Greg was a live wire, he'd had a few suspensions for police brutality in the past.

Greg came back with a mighty round house kick. To which Rick caught and sent back. Every move he made in a fight was precise. The HUD gave him every little detail and his reflexes were flawless. Greg hit the desks a second time. He stamped a foot.

Some of the officers were ushering the civilians out of the room. They were beginning to get scared.

Deputy Michaels stepped between the two men and spoke. "That's enough." His deep resonant voice carried to the farthest corners of the room. His aged face had a serious look but lacked the severity Hanson used. He ran a hand through his brown-grey hair and looked at the two in turn. "Sit down."

Rick pulled up a chair and sat. He wasn't about to start anything else. He was already getting a number of looks and stares, and nobody even knew anything yet.

Greg sat on the desk he was leaning against. His hair was mussed, but he was otherwise unharmed.

"Now whatever dispute you two have is going to end now. I'm going to separate you and you're both going to forget it." Michaels kept his voice clear and authoritative.

"He started it." Greg remarked.

"Are we in high school?" Michaels questioned. He nodded at the silence.

"Barnes is hiding something." Greg mumbled. The Deputy heard it and turned to Rick.

"Barnes, what is Sergeant Hanson doing right now?"

"He's calling the Police Chief." Rick replied. His throat felt tight. He couldn't say anything in front of all these people.

"Why?"

"To verify somethin'." Rick replied. "If you don't mind I'm sure he'd be willin' to tell you."

Greg snickered. Michaels seemed to think for a moment, "Tanner, in my office now. Barnes, you go back to Hanson's office. When he's off the phone tell him I'd like to have a word with him in private." Rick nodded and rose. He turned his back on Greg without a word and hurried out of the room.


	7. Is He For Real

About an hour later Alex and Grant were there. Alex was upset when she came into the Sergeant's office. Hanson hadn't believed a word she'd said. Apparently he was in denial and hoping this was all some set up joke.

"Greetings Dr. Lawrence, Dr. Grant," Hanson welcomed them into his office. "I hope it isn't too troubling for you to clear this all up."

Alex shook her head, "Of course not." She replied.

"Good." Hanson turned his computer screen to show the scientists the frozen video Rick had given him. "Barnes here claims this video was recorded with his eye." The emphasis at the end made it clear he wasn't buying it.

"He's correct." Grant finally spoke up. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Are you telling me that one of my officers has a camera for an eye?" Hanson stood up as he spoke.

"We are, and we can prove it." Alex replied.

Hanson paused, either the three of them were bluffing or they were honest. Or they believed they were honest. "Very well." He conceded.

Grant strode over to Rick. "Mind if I?" He didn't need to finish the question, Rick was familiar with what his friend was wanting to do. Rick nodded and rolled up his right sleeve.

"Watch this Sergeant." Alex said in an intriguing tone. The man took a few steps around his desk to get a better view.

Grant took Rick's arm and turned it so the soft underside was exposed. Though it was impossible to see there was a miniscule seam in the synthetic flesh. He pressed his thumb into a specific part of the arm and the seam came loose. Hanson gasped at what now looked like a scar.

Rick remained stoic for the moment. It was better to keep silent, and not watch. He hated watching Grant or Alex do work on his own body. It always made the truth a little more real. While he had accepted McDowell's generous gift of life, he sometimes felt a little resentment for it. After all, he'd given up a lot of flesh just to stay alive. But of course the fact that he was still a police officer and had a purpose made it all the easier to bear.

Grant peeled back a three inch long section of skin to reveal a metal frame. It was thick, round, and sectioned off by seams every half inch. A few wires ran over the metal disappearing under the fake flesh.

Rick looked at Hanson and shrugged. "It's true." He murmured.

Hanson was finally believing, though he was in shock and slightly sickened. He looked like he was fighting down a gag reflex. "Are you even human?"

Rick's face grew red with indignation. "Yes." He replied shortly.

"Sergeant, Rick is most definitely human, we only replaced what was damaged after the explosion." Alex explained. "And we implemented a few upgrades to his existing body." She was getting excited. She hadn't shown her work to anyone since the Feds had stolen it all.

Hanson nodded. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" He was looking at Rick, whose arm was being put back to normal.

"The Chief of Police and the Sheriff know already. We agreed it would be best to release this information slowly." Rick replied. "We didn't want to freak people out."

"That's understandable." Hanson replied. His eyes dropped to Rick's arm and stayed there. Rick pulled his sleeve down.

"Are there any other questions we can answer?" Grant asked.

"A few." Hanson replied returning to his desk. "How is this possible?"

"With the use of a neural interface connected to Rick's brain through a synthetic neural passageway grafted into the brain and brain stem. It allows him to have control over the digital additions to his brain which control his prosthetic limbs and regulate the life support system built into his organs." Alex explained.

"It's all perfectly safe, he has complete control over the mechanical additions to his body, and he's got a sound mind. We check for brain cell deterioration caused by the digital neural pathways every six months. It's been two years, and he's the healthiest he'll ever be." Grant added.

Rick smiled. He was glad they could explain it so easily. It was nice to have friends who were dedicated enough to vouch for him.

Hanson's surprise was turning into curiosity. It was apparent in his blue eyes. "Is there any way this program will be used again?"

Alex and Grant shook their heads in unison. "The government shut us down after the original designer, Professor Calvin McDowell, was murdered. Since then the Feds have prohibited repeating the process. They took all of our research and blue prints." Alex answered. Her voice dropped an octave, she would have gone further with the program if she were allowed to.

"And Barnes is a free citizen?" Hanson asked.

"The supreme court decided it was unconstitutional to lock me up in a lab just because I had undergone unethical and unorthodox procedures. I'm as free as any other American." Rick answered the question. He could only take people talking about him like he wasn't there for so long.

"Did you agree to it?" Hanson asked.

Rick smiled at him. "Alex came to me on my death bed and offered me a way out. Obviously it wasn't my time to die. I gave full consent before they even touched me."

Hanson seemed to relax. "Well, as long as it's all legally safe and you're not a danger to anyone, I see no reason to make a fuss. I will have to talk to deputy Michaels, and I'll let the Chief know I'm in on the secret. Barnes take this," he pulled the SD card out of his computer and handed it to the cop. "I think we both know Greg started the fight, I'm not even going to bring the video or the fight up again." He grinned. "I'll make sure Tanner gets his due in some very unpleasant cases."

Rick smiled at that. "Thanks Sergeant."

"No problem," Hanson opened his office door for the three to leave. Grant and Alex paused outside the room to talk with Rick.

"I see you've got yourself a rival." Grant said waggling his eyebrows and nudging Rick with his elbow.

"Not on purpose." Rick replied. "The guy just seems to always have my number."

"Well, just stay away from the guy if you can." Alex suggested. "We do worry about you Rick, for a number of reasons."

Rick smiled. "Why do you sound like a concerned sister-in-law?"

"I do not." Alex returned. Grant and Rick shared a laugh.

Rick sobered up. "Well, I have a desk to clean up and work to get to." He said as he sidled away from the two. "I'll catch you guys later." He made to walk away.

"Not even a proper goodbye?" Alex caught his arm.

"Alright, goodbye." Rick said as sincerely as he could while smiling and trying to stifle yet another laugh. Alex gave him a quick hug and Grant shook his hand.

"Thanks for your help." Rick said as the couple headed out.

"No prob." Grant called back.

Rick went back to the main room and got down to cleaning up the mess Greg had made. With any luck he wouldn't see the violent officer for a few weeks at least.


	8. Let's do the Time Warp Again

Years passed like months and soon Rick found himself both a detective and a father. As Penny grew up she grew to love the man as her own father. Though he tried to hide it he felt very much the same. He had found himself nicely surprised when she called him 'Dad' at age two. Having been the one to hold her first he felt a certain paternal bond with her. Taking the advice of Grant and Alex, Rick had Penny's legal last name made Barnes. For the first two years of her life she had had no last name.

Alex and Grant weren't the parenting type, but they allowed Penny to call them Aunt and Uncle. This gave them a comfortable relationship with her, Penny trusted them as her doctors.

Jessica watched over the girl till she was old enough for kindergarten, but by this time she and Rick had formed a relationship. Rick wasn't surprised by his feelings for her. She was as good a person as her sister and she was less scientific about life.

Alex was thrilled to know that Rick and her sister were together, she had always known Jessica would fall for a country boy. It seemed ironic that Alex had brought the country boy to her sister, even if it wasn't on purpose.

Alex's work got her recognition, and with that rivalries. Rick sometimes spent the night at the mansion standing guard. Threatening letters were usually just that, but a few extremists had taken action. Nothing stopped Alex, not even the news that the man who had killed McDowell was set free by a jury.

Rick's new rank as a detective gave him much more freedom. To commence the promotion Alex had presented him with a special gift. McDowell had given Alex the chore of designing a special garment for Project Guardian. With Grant's help she had taken a London Fog Trench Coat and turned into a defensive armed super coat.

Alex had had to start from scratch after the FBI stole the original. The coat was fitted with just as many toys as Rick was. It even had a few things Grant had added after Alex's original work.

Rick had been a little shocked by the gift. He knew it must have cost them a fortune and the FBI could never know that Alex had managed to sneak the blueprints out from under their agents' noses.

But he wore it with pride, it wasn't every day an expensive specially tailored trench coat was just handed to him. And as his life would have it, the coat proved invaluable. He had been saved on one occasion by the bullet proof rubber backed Kevlar that lined it. The rubber layer had prevented a downed telephone pole from electrocuting him. While the cyborg had seemed invincible a strong outside current of electricity was more than capable of killing him.

The coat was designed to withstand extreme temperatures, deflected any projectile attack, could double as a life jacket, contained a radio jamming frequency, had a built in parachute, flaps of fabric could extend from the sleeves to serve as glider wings, there was a camouflage setting, and the belt could double as climbing/repelling gear. To finish it off it was solar powered. The coat was a rather impressive article of clothing. All of these amazing features were controlled by a computerized wristwatch.

The watch had it's own added features like a video communication display, homing device, metal detector, smoke and gas alarm, and a GPS.

When Alex and Grant designed extras for Project Guardian they really did their homework. With the coat Rick had almost anything he could possibly need in any event. And it seemed that Alex was always finding something else to add to the tools he carried. She warned him that a fully equipped hat was coming next. He was almost scared to think what else she could possibly come up with.

Penny seemed not to care that Rick was different than everyone else. He didn't refrain from using the built in weapons and tools in front of her. Grant had been giving him a few pointers on how to explain Penny's own unique existence. One way to help her cope was to know that Rick was different too.


	9. Hats and Dragons

**A/N: So here I finally decided to get the story in gear. I wanted to write a nice long fanfic, and I really tried hard. So it won't be until here that the plot thickens! I'm also uploading several chaps at once...to make up for not posting last week's and to get some more down cause unfortunately I started to slow down...Don't worry I have about 6 or 7 more completed chapters after this. I really need feedback to keep going though.**

Penny sat at the table staring at Rick intently. He was reading her school report card. His grey eyes scanned over the paper quickly darting from side to side. She knew there was nothing to be worried about, but she still searched for praise. He set the paper down and looked at the eight year old.

"You're doing amazing as usual." Rick said with a smile. "I'm pleased with what your teachers wrote." He looked back at the bottom of the page, ""Penny is always respectful and listens." "She works above average, completing astounding assignments.""

"These teachers are better." Penny chimed in. "They understand me."

"Good," Rick smiled again. The girl had been misunderstood by conventional teachers. Rick had been forced to tell her the truth about herself over the summer. She had taken it well, her emotions had run rampant for a brief few hours, but she accepted it without any bitterness. After that he'd found her a school for children with a high I.Q.

Rick finished his eggs, "now we better get goin'. Alex and Grant won't let us hear the end of it if we're late."

Penny nodded. "Right." She finished her juice and jumped down.

Rick put the dishes in the sink and left them for later. Penny grabbed her pink ski coat off the rack and put it on. Rick grabbed the super trench coat and shrugged into it. He pulled a key ring from his jeans pocket and opened the door.

* * *

The evening before, a young FBI agent looked into a few reports from when they had seized the FutureTech research. It was noted that several blue prints regarding advanced weaponized cars and other outlandish sci-fi tools were missing. Agents had done some research and knew that Alex Lawrence had been designing some rather unique toys, but a majority of her private work was not with everything they had obtained.

While legally it wasn't part of McDowell's promised research, it was something that should be looked after. That was what his partner Arthur Davidson had said.

Walter Riggs closed up the reports and sighed. His superiors wanted him to infiltrate the Lawrence mansion and see if he could find them. Walter didn't feel that was the proper thing to do. He joined the FBI to protect his country, not steal research that could make a difference in the world.

He removed the laptop on his clean desk and placed it in a brief case. He had a girlfriend to kiss goodbye, a plane to catch, and six hours to come up with an idea to implement when he touched down.

For something that his coworkers thought was black and white he found it was just a little grey and fuzzy. Sure turning people into cyborgs was at the bottom of morality, but the use of cybernetic organs could eradicate transplant waiting lists.

He headed for the doors. Pals caught him on the way and said goodbyes. Every time an FBI agent left on a mission it was highly possible they could come back in a body bag or as a pile of ash in some cases.

"Good luck," that was Agent Linson.

"Snag a pic of the brain child if you can." Agent Johnson suggested.

"Don't forget your girlfriend. A woman can be your deadliest enemy." Agent Tomlin said with a serious monotone.

"Just come back alive." Agent Carling said as she shook his hand.

"Remember the mission." His senior partner said with a tone of levity. He knew that Walter had his doubts about the morality of his mission. "The minute you feel like you are going to slip up you call me." He added a tad less severe.

"Thanks Davidson." Walter shook his hand. "I'll remember." He assured.

Looking back over his shoulder he shivered. That feeling he got in his gut before something went wrong had been distracting him for a day or two now. Something wasn't right, and until he figured it out he was completely blind.

He checked his watch. Two hours until he had to be at the airport. Just enough time for a quick dinner with Melissa and a stop at his apartment to collect his suitcase.

The parking garage was full of cars. Most were ordinary every day sedans and SUVs. There were a few black government issue sedans here and there. There wasn't another soul in the place.

He got into his blue Toyota and drove out. Turning the radio on he frowned and turned it back off. Bad news seemed to be the only thing anyone could talk about. Not that there was much good news, but a few topics that didn't bring more cause to worry would have been nice. It at least might have an encouraging effect on the populace.

Walter stopped at his apartment first. He wanted to get his things first just in case he and Melissa were late. She was taking the car once he was gone. She didn't have her own, and Walter certainly wasn't going to drive all the way from New York to Reno Nevada. That would have been ridiculous.

Inside his apartment he checked to make sure no lights or water was running, he made a quick scan of all his belongings, and deciding that he had everything, locked the door behind him, and carried his single piece of luggage to the elevator. He pushed the down button and waited. He tapped his foot as he did so. The silver doors opened and he hurried into the empty chamber. He pushed the ground floor button and stood stock still as it dropped towards the ground.

Back in his car he headed for Melissa's place. He didn't have much time to say goodbye and he was contemplating telling her that he may just decide to fail this mission on purpose.

She was waiting outside for him in her blue dress, the one he liked on her, and she had a wrapped gift. Most likely some little trinket for good luck. So far she had given him one before every case and he had yet to fail or get injured. When she'd heard he liked dragons she had started buying him them. He had a whole shelf of them by now. Glass and ceramic dragons of varying size and color. And every time she got him a good luck token it was a small dragon he could keep on him.

To date Walter had a dragon pen, a dragon keychain, a dragon ring, a leather wallet with a dragon carved into it, and a dragon embroidered kerchief. He smiled at her and leaned over to open the passenger door for her.

She climbed in and kissed his waiting lips. "Oh Walter I wish you didn't have to go so soon. I've been dying to go see that musical with you. You promised." Melissa said as she buckled up.

"I know." Walter replied with a sigh. "As soon as I get back we'll go. I promise. I even have the money for tickets hidden in the glove box. Of course if something happens while I'm gone you use it." Melissa nodded. Walter always left her a stash of cash in his car when he left on an out of town case.

She never used it, though she promised him she would.

"Here open this now." Melissa passed him the small square wrapped in green paper.

"Sure thing." He tore the paper and tossed it into the backseat. He opened the unmarked brown box and lifted the top. Inside was a lapel pin, a pin of a fierce blue dragon head. The black eyes were bright and the open maw filled with glistening teeth.

"Another draconic luck charm. I bet Atreyu would turn green with envy at all my luck dragons." Walter kissed her cheek in thanks.

"Those dragons protect you rather well." Melissa said as he put the pin on the lapel of his black suit jacket. He pulled out.

"I'm going to need their luck." Walter muttered.

"What?" Melissa asked. Then she realized she couldn't beg for information. Walter was an FBI Agent that meant he had to keep all of his cases a secret, at least until they were broadcast publicly.

And then they never said his name. They weren't allowed to release his name as an agent. They never revealed their names, in fact they usually kept the names of deceased agents in their active files. One could never be too careful in an FBI position.

"Nothing, sorry," Walter apologized. "Let's go have a good dinner."

Melissa forced a smile, "Yes, lets."

* * *

Grant let Rick and Penny into the mansion. "Hello Penny," he greeted the girl.

"Hi Uncle Grant." Penny replied hugging his waist. Rick always felt that if anyone had the right to be called Penny's parents it was Alex and Grant.

"I'm gonna do the usual checkup while you're here." Grant warned Penny. She nodded happily, the scientists were the only doctors she knew. "Alex is waiting in the lab already."

"Of course she is." Rick said with a smile. The three made their way through the familiar estate. They entered the lab.

Something flew towards Rick's head. He ducked under and turned to where it had come from. Alex was standing next to a table with a smile on her lips. Penny gasped. Rick felt something slam into his head. He frowned and reached for the object now on his head. His fingers registered the brim of a hat. He pulled it off and looked at it. It was an old fashioned brown fedora.

Grant took Penny over to a chair in the lab and pulled out his stethoscope. She smiled as they talked.

He looked at Alex and gave her a deadpan stare. Obviously he didn't find it very amusing. "Come on Rick, it's a tool, not a fashion statement."

"Everyone already thinks I live in a stereotype with the trench, now you want me to wear a fedora? I'm gonna be the laughin' stock of the whole precinct."

"Just take a look at it." Alex replied with a sharp look.

"Fine." Rick turned it over and instead of the typical felt or satin lining there was a metal inner band and a hinge on the back wall and ceiling of the hat. He quirked an eyebrow but said nothing. The hat weighed quite a bit. Figuring that it was played with just like his coat, and now his shoes, he went ahead and put it on.

"There's a magnetic locking strip that will keep the hat on your head at all times." Alex began to explain the newest toy she'd concocted. "Even if you get thrown from a vehicle it won't come off. It'll act as a helmet in worst case scenarios. Also it has a few new devices for you to use. Most of this is practical use like an umbrella and some extra hands. They're simple and you can control them for instances where two hands are not enough. And the last thing you'll want to know about right now is the helicopter feature."

Rick looked at Alex in surprise. "Helicopter?"

A broad grin spread across her face. "One, fully functioning helicopter propeller and steering unit has been meticulously designed to collapse into that hat. If you put the hat on again it will download the operations program to your existing secondary function program."

Rick was used to this sort of thing, Alex was always providing some new addition to the original cybernetic work she had done. Every year and a half she upgraded the operating system that ran everything from his heart beat to the laser beam installed in his right finger.

He looked at the hat. "Let me guess, it runs off of a wireless connection?"

"Yep, simply put it on your head and relax. It may take a few minutes, the program for the A-1 Gadget Hat has it's own encryption codes as usual. But the download will provide you with the encryption key."

Penny giggled from a few yards away. "I like the name Aunt Alex." She called.

"So do I." The woman replied smiling.

"I'm not so sure I like it." Rick teased as he put it on. His body tensed up as it usually did when he was downloading new files. It always irked him just a bit that he, a human being, was capable of downloading and uploading computer files and programs. It wasn't natural for anyone and he always dreaded what would happen if something he downloaded carried a computer virus. Not that he ever had Alex's work was secure as any files could be. But she had warned him about the dangers a computer virus could bring with it.

The dialogue box in his vision popped up and scrolled through the usual actions. He didn't read it. He always refused to know just how much of his brain was computerized, he believed that in this case, ignorance is bliss.

He felt a slight buzzing sensation through his spine and then he was suddenly aware of something new. Each new weapon Alex gave him, including auxiliary ones like the hat, always brought their own files and connections. This was interpreted by Rick as an awareness of something beyond him, and yet it also seemed to be a part of him.

A few minutes later and the dialogue box changed:

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE: A-1 GADGET HAT ON STAND-BY.

Rick looked at Alex. "I'm all ready to go." He said. Despite the weirdness of the hat, he was eager to try it out. What man could resist the possibility of actually flying.

"Excellent. Go ahead and try something out. You should have a scroll list of the items available."

Rick was already focusing his thoughts. _Activate A-1 Helicopter._ The lid of the hat suddenly popped open and something began to emerge. Rick heard a commotion of noises from the hat that reminded him of electric drills.

The weight was the same, but now it was all on the very top of his head. He stuck a hand up and found one of the two handles that came down at either side of his face. He could see the grip and the long bar that reach up past his vision. He let his hand continue upward until he felt one of the propeller blades. A diagram in his vision gave him a detailed image of the device.

He brought his hand back down, and looked at Alex who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "How do I start it?" He asked.

"Contact." Alex replied. "That's the command word for all helicopter pilots before they start the ignition." She backed a few feet away.

"Contact?" He repeated questioningly. The engine of the helicopter suddenly came to life. As it revved up, the blades began to spin causing a gust of wind around Rick. Penny was watching from a safe distance in wonder.

After a moment Rick suddenly felt himself being lifted up. He grabbed the control sticks and watched as his feet left the floor several inches. The noise from the engine was loud, but not so powerful that he couldn't hear Alex.

"Ok, since you're indoors the helicopter won't give you more than a hover. When you get it out in the open air you'll be able to rise to whatever safe altitude you desire. After about 2,000 ft you won't be able to go any higher. At that point the air pressure is sure to cause malfunctions to your primary and auxiliary systems. If that happens there's a chance you could cause permanent damage." She was yelling at him. Rick gave her a thumbs up to let her know he had heard her.

He focused his thoughts on dropping back down and the floor rose up to meet him a little faster than he was expecting. His feet hit the ground hard and he bounced back up veering to the side. With the blades still spinning he tried to correct himself and managed to sprint to a halt. As soon as the engine died he focused on deactivating the helicopter. It vanished back into the fedora.

Rick took the hat off and looked at it. "That's really somethin'." He commented.

"Of course it is." Alex replied.

A rumbling from outside made everyone look towards the east wall. Penny shivered and looked up at the ceiling. "Is it thunder?" She asked.


	10. Bringing the Battle to You

"Today is supposed to be sunny." Grant replied quietly.

"It's not an aircraft. We don't live close enough to an airport or private landing strip." Alex added.

The rumbling got louder until the floor and walls began to shake. "Earthquake!" Penny screamed and got up. She ran over to Rick clutching his torso in a frightened hug.

Lab equipment fell off the shelves shattering into a million shards or clattering to the floor. The fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling swayed back and forth. Grant backed away from the wall. "I don't think it's an earthquake."

Rick looked at the east wall and activated his radar adjusting it for geological scans first. Nothing about seismic activity came up so he switched it to basic mode. The dialogue box came to his vision and showed him a chart. The radar system analyzed the data from around them:

WARNING!

INCOMING ATTACK.

SEISMIC SYNTHESIS IN PLACE.

EXPLOSIVES WITHIN 30 YARD PERIMETER.

EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!

"Everyone out now!" Rick yelled hoisting Penny into his arms and charging for the door. Alex and Grant took off after him trying to keep up. Rick waited at the lab door. When the two caught up he pushed them into the hall and followed. Alex and Grant hurried towards the front door. Rick kept pace with them one hand holding up Penny the other ready to help his friends or catch himself if he fell.

As the door grew larger at the end of the hall a massive explosion sent them all to the ground. The windows of the north east wall imploded showering them with bits of glass. Rick caught himself with his hand and hurried up to help Alex stand. He half pushed her to Grant who was already back up and running for the door.

A second smaller explosion rocked the floor. The wooden boards creaked and the lights went dark. Rick looked out the demolished windows to see a group of armed men rushing towards them. They carried guns of varying size and power and behind them on the ground was a large machine with a drill bit boring into the ground.

"That must be causing the shaking." Rick pointed at the device as they continued. Alex nodded but said nothing, she was too scared to open her mouth.

They reached the door and plowed through it into a heap. The attackers noticed and started for them.

Alex climbed to her feet and grabbed Penny, she made a bolt for the SUV parked in the drive. Penny was crying by this point. She'd never seen such horror before her. The Lawrence estate was on fire, black smoke rose into the blue skies and was pulled by the wind. Several black unregistered cars were parked on the lawn.

There was a gaping hole in the mansion revealing the once pristine lab now a chaotic hazard. Chemicals had pooled together causing smaller explosions projecting foul gasses into the air.

Grant and Rick stood ready to fight. The detective handed the scientist a gun and pulled another from his trench coat. "Try not to kill anyone, I've already called for backup." Rick whispered. Not only could he receive radio messages he could also send out his own.

Surrounded by untrained men wielding semi-automatic hand guns and a few assault rifles they were going to need some help. But they had to hold off the horde of men that had descended on the manor.

The machine causing the vibrations in the ground stopped and someone in a black long coat climbed out of it. He strode to within ten yards of the two men. His hair was pale blond and slicked back, he wore sunglasses obscuring his eyes, and he had a band of orange fabric around his upper left arm.

"I finally get to meet the fools who believed they could change the future of humanity." He spoke with a clear smooth voice. "We are here to put an end to your futile attempts at destroying the human race."

"Who are you?" Grant snapped. He was angry, his home was destroyed, his wife and best friend were in danger, the girl he loved as his niece was crying, and about a year's worth of work was going up in smoke.

"We are simply called The Purist Reich." The obvious leader answered.

"White supremacists?" Rick asked. He wasn't liking the way things were going. He had to keep these men talking until the police arrived. And today had been his day off. One wrong move and the situation could become fatal, for either or both sides. Rick had people to protect and now some terrorists to arrest.

The man smiled, "Yes and no." He replied. "We not only believe that those of the fairest skin are supreme in regard to other races, but we also believe in the untainted white human."

"You mean you're against medical tampering." Grant stated. He knew there were too many men without more police. As long as the guy was willing to talk he would pull as much information as he could.

"No vaccines, no prosthetics, no radiation treatment, and no abominations like that girl in the car or You." He pointed at Rick, "You're the mechanical monster they created right?"

Rick winced inwardly at the designation. He wasn't a monster, he was just a souped-up man. As Alex had promised the fedora was still on his head, the metal band magnetically attracted to the metal plating grafted to his skull. "I'm the one, but I ain't no monster." Rick replied.

The terrorist laughed. Some of the other men did too. But the guns remained trained on Rick and Grant's head. There were also a few muzzles aimed at the big Land Rover in the drive.

Rick had a display in the right corner of his vision measuring the time since he'd called for backup. It had only been two minutes. He estimated it would be another five before a helicopter could arrive, and then there was a chance it would get shot down.

He had one option at hand, and that was to attract as much fire as he could. The coat was bulletproof and from what he could tell about the hat it was too. A shot to the face would probably only cause cosmetic damage.

He took a step forward. "What do you want?"

"To destroy you." The man replied.

Rick gave him a crooked smile, "I dare you to give it your best shot." He challenged.

"Rick no." Grant called.

"Grant, keep watch over Alex and Penny, I'll take care of this." Rick assured glancing back at the scientist. "You know me, I always pull through."

Grant nodded and backed to the car. Alex was in the back on the floor holding Penny. The girl was sobbing into her shoulder scared stiff. Alex held her soothingly and looked up to meet her husband's eyes. "I love you." She mouthed. He returned the silent affection and then turned back to face what was soon to be a battlefield.

Rick was standing in the midst of at least a dozen men. They were all waiting for the right moment to attack him, no one was quite sure what the cyborg was capable of.

"Men, show this useless pile of scrap metal that we are his betters. Prove to the world that our pure white blood is flawless in comparison to him!" The leader gave his order.

Guns blasted away in a deafening cacophony.

Rick covered his face with an arm, ducked low, and waited for the first barrage to end. Bullets thumped against the heavy trench coat and fell to the ground harmlessly. One bullet snuck it's way in through a tiny opening and lodged itself into Rick's shoulder. He winced at the sudden sharp pain and remained focused. He felt warm blood ooze down his chest. It felt like he'd taken a bullet in some of his remaining flesh and muscle. If that was the case then pain would be the only thing to worry about.

Grant watched from in front of the SUV, he hoped that Rick would come out alright, they were firing at him like crazy.

As soon as a few of the guns clicked emptily Rick made a move. He straightened up and activated the submachine gun in his arm. The targeting array locked onto several different guns at once allowing him to turn in a circle and effectively shoot the guns out of his enemies' hands.

Cries of shock and pain rewarded his effort, but there were still more men with guns. The others waited for clear shots, this gave Rick a chance to calculate attacks made with a series of throwing stars that shot out of his wrists. The metal blades lodged in the guns themselves or into the arms of those holding them.

Rick looked at the display in his vision, two more minutes to go. Everything had to be ready for the police when they arrived. He looked back at the drill machine.

His foot opened up and a large rocket shot for the drill. It collided with the device and another explosion sent men running or flying away from it. More smoke choked the sky darkening the battle field. The machine was a twisted scrap metal sculpture of destruction.

The leader who had dropped to the grass and covered his head rose and looked at the wreckage. "It would seem you are more skilled than I expected."

"Don't underestimate me again." Rick warned. There were still a few operational guns aiming for him. He didn't even duck as he was once again fired upon.

* * *

In the SUV Alex tried to shield Penny from the carnage, but the girl watched in horrified wonder. Despite the unfavorable numbers her father was unharmed from what she could tell. He returned fire never once purposely taking a life. The destruction of the drill was a bit forceful to the girl. Alex told her that Rick was buying some time.

Once the police arrived everything would be just fine. Alarms in the distance managed to reach their ears. "See, help is on the way." Alex assured. She was so shocked by the entire situation that she shivered every now and again.

Her mansion was in ruins, flames eating away whatever they could, and she was locked in a car hiding with a little girl. Most people would have criticized her for her outward cowardice. She was rightfully in the car with the child. Though she had fought to protect Penny when she was born, this was a much different battle.

These men had made an entrance in creating a psychological attack. Her mind was distracted by the ruin of her home and she had no clue what else to do. She also knew that Rick was very able to handle the job, she'd seen to it that he could withstand a full on fire fight if the occasion ever arose.

She watched hoping that everything would end soon.

Grant stood near the SUV the gun ahead of him ready for action if someone should get too close.

* * *

Rick grabbed a machine gun and snapped the muzzle in his hand. He dropped the shattered metal on the ground. The police and rescue sirens were coming closer. He had only a few more weapons to take out. The familiar chop chop chop of a helicopter overhead alerted him to the arrival of backup. He wondered how bad the situation looked from up there.

Someone struck him in the face with a gun. Rick's head swung to the side. He struck back with his fist and straightened back up. He glanced at the man who had attacked him and used his own jacket to tie his hands up. Rick glanced for the remaining gunmen.

He managed to shoot a gun out of a hand as it pointed towards the police transport. A sharp yelp and the gun was on the ground. He felt something burrow into his neck and was thrown to the side. He spun his head to see the leader holding a smoking pistol. Pain erupted along the right side of his jaw and head and forked down his spine.

He went to his knees and blinked back the pain. He could hear Penny screaming his name from inside the car. He turned to her and gave her a smile. She looked at him worried and he stood back up. There was no time to stop now. The helicopter was landing with a couple swat team men firing at those still armed.

Rick watched as the leader turned to make a run for it. The coward had started a battle and now he wanted nothing to do with it. Rick started after him. At first his legs felt heavy and slow. As he fought the pain in his neck he picked up speed. When the terrorist looked back he paled. Rick was almost on top of him.

"Stop running!" Rick yelled. When he didn't respond Rick activated the lasso. A rope looped rope snaked out of his arm and he circled his arm as he locked onto his target. With a thrust of his arm he snagged the man around the torso. He snapped his arm back yanking the captured enemy back.

Rick released him only when he had his other hand gripping the leader's arm. Rick fished for a pair of cuffs, and to his great surprise the fedora opened up and one of the hands Alex had mentioned retrieved them.

Sirens blared as fire trucks, ambulances, and squad cars pulled up. Rick noticed a few civilians who had gathered to watch. Reporters appeared out of nowhere with camera men and microphones.

The whole scene was utter chaos as Grant rushed up to check on Rick's injuries. Apparently sparks were flying out of the entry wound. Cops cuffed terrorists left and right, firefighters began hosing down the mansion, and the paramedics took care of the injured suspects.

As people worked or asked questions Rick felt himself losing hold of his thoughts. He slumped against Grant. Alex and Penny came out of the car and rushed forward. "Rick are you ok?" Alex called out.

"Dad!" Penny screamed as she launched herself towards him. Rick managed to give her a brave smile and hug her.

"Everything's ok." Grant assured. "The wound's not serious." He told the child. Grant and Alex half carried Rick to an empty stretcher, Alex procured some medical instruments and the two began to take care of the injury.

Penny watched quietly holding Rick's hand. He winced through his wavering smile as Alex fished the bullet out. Blood coated her fingers. The bullet was smashed, and in one piece. Alex placed it in a Ziploc baggy.

Penny stared at it in horror. When Alex stuck her fingers back in to make sure nothing was damaged Penny turned away.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Penny asked. Rick nodded and was duly scolded.

"Don't move your head Rick." Alex warned.

"It hurts, but it has to be done." Rick explained to the girl. She was slowly becoming more curious. She watched as Alex sewed the skin up. In a matter of minutes the scientist had everything fixed.

"Ok Rick, I need you to test out your right arm for me. Let me make sure your finger installments and the extension are undamaged."

Rick grimaced. There were people around. Lots of people around. "But the people," Penny murmured, obviously she knew what he was thinking.

"There's nothing we can do about that." Alex replied. "Now please."

Rick sighed and did as he was asked. As the nearest people caught glimpses of unusual activity they began to watch in amazement as each one of Rick's fingers either opened up revealing a different household tool or suddenly let out a laser or beam of light. When Rick grudgingly forced his arm to extend the crowd gasped. Camera flashes blinded the three of them as Grant tried to push the reporters back.

People began to whisper and talk amongst themselves, even the rescue workers were distracted by the spectacle if only briefly. Rick felt trapped. Now the whole world would know, and it wasn't that he was ashamed of it, he just didn't want the publicity that was bound to come.

Penny noticed the second bullet wound and Alex set to work on it. Rick had almost forgotten about his shoulder. This ended the demonstration and Grant managed to get the crowd to back away.

Rick tried to relax, but he had a feeling things were about to get a lot more complicated.


	11. The Three Ring Media Circus

"Detective Cyber-Man, Robo-Detective, Inspector Gadget, Android Detective, Detective Gears…" Alex was reading the headlines out loud. She set the stack of news papers down on the desk and looked at the star on the front page of every local paper. Even the smaller papers ran by grassroots groups that looked down on traditional media had gotten in on the fun.

Rick was pacing around the office nervously as she recited the names the local newspapers had dubbed him.

"Those are awful." Rick complained as he stopped to look at her. "This is exactly what I didn't want." A sort of embarrassed smile crept over his lips. Even he couldn't help but see the humor in the names people were coming up with.

Alex giggled, "well, I kind of like Inspector Gadget." She replied. Rick grimaced and she laughed more.

"It sounds like the name of a cartoon character, they all do." Rick remarked with some slight touch of disdain. He was surprised no one had used 'Six-Million Dollar Man' already.

"But that's what makes it so much fun. Didn't you ever want to be a hero from the cartoons as a kid?" Alex asked.

Rick thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I did have one cartoon hero."

"Who was it?" Alex asked with a smile.

"Spider-Man." Rick replied with a sheepish smile. Alex immediately began to laugh.

"You're favorite cartoon super hero had the worst media attention ever." She calmed her almost cackle. "You can't believe you'll have it that bad, I mean, this could be good for you. No more keeping it low, I know the Feds don't like you, but if you become a local sensation they might come around, and at least you'll get to have some fun."

The door opened and Grant stepped in. Voices filtered in through the open door but there were too many people speaking at once. Luckily the office windows were fitted with blinds that were drawn. "How'd it go?" Alex asked.

Grant made a face. "The press is satisfied for now." He replied. He sat down on the desk.

"But?" Rick asked.

"But, they want you to speak." Grant replied. Rick paled considerably.

"Did you tell them no?" Alex asked.

"I did, but um, they want to see something, take some more pictures." Grant sounded like he had pleaded with them to be patient.

"I think they have plenty of photos." Rick pointed to the papers. "And I don't feel like showin' off."

"They have one question for you." Grant added.

"What?"

"They would like to know if you would be willing to choose one of the monikers the journalists came up with." Grant chuckled. "They want to nickname you, and they want a contest for it."

"Well this is just a little humorous." Alex remarked.

Rick went back to pacing. He fingered the stitches on his neck and sighed. "I'm supposed to choose a nickname?" He was wearing a collared shirt and jeans. His left eye was almost swollen shut and had a dark blue-black tinge around it. "Let alone go face the press looking like this." He added.

He'd never dreamed that he would end up in the spotlight like this. He figured people would have a more negative reaction to something as unbelievable as cyborg cop. Perhaps it was the novelty of it all, the people were just excited by something that had never been done before. He hoped the initial enthusiasm would fade away after a few weeks.

"You could tell them to give you a few days. Let them have their fun for a while and you never know, you might get some entertainment out of it." Alex suggested.

"Make it a real contest. The journalist who names you can get a picture taken with you…,"

"Or you could let them be your honorary partner for a day."

"Ooh, that's a good one Hon." Grant commented. He obviously hadn't thought of something as prize worthy as that. Alex smiled proudly.

Rick almost laughed. Why was it that his friends were having more fun with this than he was? Maybe cause while he got the media circus frenzy, they got the credit for all the behind the scenes work. Of course he was tempted to go along with all of it, but he also didn't feel comfortable doing that. He had to admit, it couldn't hurt to play along to some degree.

"Alright." Rick replied. "You tell them I end the naming contest on Friday. The winner gets to ride shotgun with me for a day." He smiled, "I'll try to have some fun." Grant and Alex beamed. This wasn't only Rick's big break, but it was theirs as well.

Rick's cell phone hummed in his pocket, the Star Wars theme music filled the small office. He pulled it out and answered it, "Hey, Darlin'." He greeted.

'Hey, I just watched Grant's Press Release. Sounds like someone's getting quite the publicity.' Her voice was excited.

"I know. It's a mad house here still, how's Penny?"

'She's good. We went and bought the local papers. So is there an official naming contest or not?'

Rick chuckled, "I guess there is."

'Good, Penny and I agree on either Inspector Gadget or Detective Gears.'

"I'll remember that. Oh, hey about dinner tonight, I was thinkin' maybe we should stay in and have a date night with Alex and Grant. They're already stayin' at the house for the week." The Lawrence estate was going to take a while to repair. The contractor hired wouldn't be able to start on the mansion for a week. So Rick had opened up his own place. Rick and Jessica were splitting the time that the two would stay with each of them.

'Good idea, I'm totally up for it. Tell Alex I'll cook dinner.' Jess replied.

"Then that's all settled. Thanks for comin' and gettin' Penny for me." The poor girl had been dragged to the precinct and questioned as a witness after the horrific battle. When they had finished with her Jessica had come and taken her home. Rick was still filing reports at the time and Alex and Grant were there as well. Rick would have let her sleep in the office, but the press was too invasive.

"Will do. Talk to ya later."

'Right.' Jessica hung up. Rick put his phone away.

"You know I've been working on designs for some extra features. How would you like to have your phone in your hand?" Alex began.

Rick waved his hands in disagreement. "No way." He replied scrunching up his face. "I've went along with every other thing you've designed, I think I need a break." Alex rolled her eyes but nodded. "Jess is makin' dinner tonight." Rick added.

"Sounds good. Though we'll probably be too tired for more than that." Grant said as he got back up. "I'll go announce the official contest, are we taking any more entries?"

"No. They've cooked up enough wacky titles already."

"Alright." Grant opened the door and the whirlwind of voices started back up again. The man had to push his way out and fought to close the door. People wanted in, Alex jumped up and rushed the desk ramming her side into it. The wooden door shuddered and slammed shut.

"You alright?" Rick asked. Alex nodded. The two remained silent for some time.

"So Rick, about those car designs I sent you last week?" Alex finally prodded.

"I liked the second one." Rick answered after a moment of thought.

"The armored sports car?" Alex asked surprised. She figured he'd want the unimpressive sedan or maybe the SUV.

"Just cause I ain't a flashy person doesn't mean my car can't be." Rick stated.

Alex waggled her eyebrows. "I think someone's finally having some fun."

* * *

That night everyone was too tired to do much more than eat dinner. Grant and Alex turned in early.

Penny was the first one asleep, Jessica couldn't get her to sleep much when she brought her home. The girl had refused to sleep. She watched the news with Jessica about the attack for hours, as soon as one channel was finished she'd flip through them until she found another covering the story.

Jessica left the house at nine. She'd been cleaning the kitchen after dinner, despite Rick's protests. "I can do that in the mornin'." He told her.

"I know, but I made the mess." Jessica insisted. As soon as the dishwasher was loaded he forced her to give up and go home. "You take care," she said sternly at the door. "I can't believe you took two bullets yesterday."

Rick shrugged, "Compared to other things I've suffered a couple bullets ain't much."

"You're lucky, without all that cybernetic work you'd probably be dead." Her eyes were shiny.

"I know I would be." Rick replied. "I was a dead man once already."

"I know." Jessica looked down and then back up at him, "Well I better get going, you need to rest." She made to kiss his cheek, but he turned and her lips met his. It was a brief touch, neither one had the energy to be passionate about it.

She left and Rick went back inside. He snagged the bottle of pain killers off the counter as he passed the kitchen. His neck and shoulder throbbed with pain. He took the pills in his room with a glass of water he kept next to the bed.

For a long time he tried to fall asleep, he was too exhausted to sleep. The pain in his neck was another sleep deterrent. Rick's synthetic skin could register feeling the same as the real stuff including pain. And even with all the work they did to the skin still intact after the explosion he couldn't turn the pain off. No matter where it was. Grant had added this to ensure that Rick didn't feel alienated by the cybernetic replacements.

When Rick did finally fall asleep his usual ironic luck(He called it ironic luck instead of bad luck because whatever happened to him was usually ironic in nature) struck. Penny in the room next door screamed. The sleeping detective sat up in shock. He winced as the pain flared back up.

"Daddy!" Penny yelled again. Her voice was laced with fear. Rick climbed out of bed not bothering to put on a shirt. His sweatpants were adequate enough covering to ease his nightmare ridden daughter.

He took the few steps down the hall to her room and flicked the switch. Light washed the pink room and illuminated the sobbing girl. She leapt from her bed and into Rick. She buried her head into his wounded shoulder.

He winced. "Nightmare?" He asked. She nodded against him.

"I was in the lab alone, and there was an explosion like yesterday." Her voice faded into a sob.

"Sh, it's ok. That's not goin' to happen again. We caught them all." He said in a confident whisper.

He picked her up and carried her into the hall. He hoped that Alex and Grant hadn't been woken up by Penny, but it was likely they were. He continued to the recliner in the living room down stairs. He sat down and held her until she fell asleep. As it would happen he fell asleep holding her.


	12. Introducing the Amazing Inspector Gadget

**A/U: So I reached 100 pages of writing for this story! It's 50,000 + words and completely finished! To celebrate I will accept Inspector Gadget one-shot requests until I post the 13th chapter. I will do cartoon, film #1, or additions to any of my fanfics. I do have writing reservations, I won't do funky pairings...And I won't write anything past an extreme makeout...I just don't do that kind of writing. Anyways. It's decided I'm writing a sequel! And I am starting that today. Enjoy and of course let me know what you think! Thanks to Knight Writer 95 and Bookworm Gal for your continued support!**

Penny raced through the hall beckoning for her father to follow. The press was right on his heels flashing their cameras and trying to get some statements. He kept quiet and watched Penny as she hurried ahead. Friday had come much faster than anyone had expected. As was promised Rick had chosen a media generated title.

Penny had initially chosen the name and Rick had agreed to it only after she had begged him.

The doors to the press room were opened for the girl by the guards and she thanked them before entering. Rick stood at the opened doors and waited for her to introduce him.

Alex had cleaned up his coat and hat, she wanted him to look his best for the announcement. He checked his tie again, the bright blue satin was smooth under his fingers.

Applause from the crowd reached his ears but he dared not peek around the door. Sergeant Hanson greeted everyone. "Welcome everyone. I gather that you are all excited to hear the name that our own Cyborg Detective has chosen. Before that I want to introduce his daughter Penny Barnes."

The cop in dress uniform stepped back and pushed a step stool to the podium. Penny came to it and nodded at Hanson. The girl climbed up so she could speak into the microphones and see the crowd. She then waved to the crowd excitedly. She was in a green sweater and denim skirt. Her hair was in two curled pig tails.

"Good afternoon everyone," she greeted with a warm smile. "I would like to introduce to you my father, and Reno's new hero, Inspector Gadget!" The girl almost shouted to the crowd.

There was a whoop of victory from a young man in the front row, those sitting on either side rolled their eyes or glared at him. Obviously he was the journalist who had come up with the name.

Rick came onto the stage trying to smile. The cameras flashed like crazy. People cheered and clapped. Penny climbed down but stayed close to him. She had another part to play. Alex and Grant had suggested a small show for the crowd, and Rick agreed if only to appease the media for awhile. He was tired of reporters coming to the door or phone calls asking him for interviews.

He still wasn't fond of the title, but Penny and Jessica had chosen it. Jessica waved from the second row and he nodded his head in her direction. She lifted a camera and snapped a shot with a devious grin. She would use it for a drawing later. The woman had a knack for drawing cartoons and was working on some logos for Inspector Gadget. If the local press and a t-shirt company liked her work she could get paid for her drawings.

Rick tipped his hat to the crowd. Grant had coached him in a few simple and easy signature moves and sayings. "A good hero had a catch phrase and a signature way to greet his fans." Grant had said showing him a few clips from some old cartoons.

Alex and Grant were somewhere in the crowd, probably too far back for him to see without using his zoom features. Rick tried not to look at the crowd too closely, the HUD was hyperactive trying to ID each person in the crowd.

"Howdy," Rick greeted politely. No matter how much Alex tried she couldn't get rid of his southern accent and the slight drawl he spoke with.

The crowd shouted numerous greetings back. Once they were quiet he continued. Luckily for him he had a perfect memory now, not one word of his speech was forgotten, and even if he did the dialogue box in his right eye had the speech scrolling as he spoke.

"I know y'all came up with some good monikers for me. And I appreciate the effort put into each one, but with some help from Penny I decided that I liked Inspector Gadget the best. Congratulations goes to Miles Harrison for your brilliant title" He couldn't believe what he was saying. He would have chosen Detective Gears if Jess and Penny hadn't begged him for Inspector Gadget.

More cheering from the crowd erupted. He raised his hands in a gesture asking the throng to let him continue. Voices died off quickly. "Thank you," he said. "I hope that I will live up to the confidence y'all have in me. I will do my best to do you proud, because, Inspector Gadget is always on duty!" That was the first time he'd managed to say the cheesy catchphrase without laughing.

Penny had coined the phrase, and as a gesture of his appreciation for her support he'd given it a chance. He watched as pens scratched on legal pads and notebooks like crazy. The gathering went wild with excitement. More camera flashes distracted his vision briefly. He refocused on the microphones clipped to the podium, he still had one more thing to say.

"Everyone, if I may finish?" He raised his voice as loud as he dared, the Vocal Amplification Unit in his throat was a tad touchy. If he yelled too loudly it was liable to magnify his voice to a painful volume.

When the mob settled down he took a deep breath. If only they knew how hard it was for him to stand there and offer to give them a demonstration of his skills. "If y'all can remain quiet until the end I will display some of the things I can do."

At first a few people started to cheer again and then realized that Rick had asked for silence. They sat back down a little red in the faces.

Rick nodded and lifted up the lectern. He easily moved the heavy wooden stand to the end of the stage.

"Penny," Rick said to his waiting daughter, "shall we?" He asked. The girl bobbed her head and ran to the opposite end. Facing him she pulled some candles out of a box next to her.

Rick didn't take a single step. Instead his right hand extended across the stage. People gasped as they watched in stunned quietude. His hand reached Penny in two seconds and he made a fist as though he were hitch hiking, the top half-inch of his thumb opened on a secret hinge and a lighter flame sparked to life within the digit. More gasps and some excited murmuring reached him, but there was no clapping or cheering. Cameras clicked and flashed from every angle. Penny held the candle wicks to the flame and showed them to the crowd.

A light round of controlled clapping created a soft drum roll. Penny set the lit candles on the stage and backed away. Rick's arm returned to it's normal length and he activated the extinguisher hose as he approached the two candles. From his left arm a small metal tube connected to a black hose emerged. A small controlled jet of white substance squirted onto each candle wick instantly killing the fire.

This device vanished back into his arm and the trench coat closed back up revealing no seams. Penny put the candles in the box and set up a target.

Rick returned to the far end of the stage and Penny backed away from the target quite a ways. As everyone watched Rick locked onto the target and then flicked his wrists as cameras flashed two throwing stars lodged into the center of the thin wooden plank with a bull's-eye painted on it.

Rick waited for the clapping to die away and for Jessica to walk Penny off the stage. The sun shone brightly on the almost empty stage. The wind was almost dead here, a perfect time to show off his newest toy.

He stepped to the center of the stage and his hat opened up. The noise of the helicopter coming together made the watchers quiet. When the mechanism was done he started it up. The propeller began to spin. Camera flashes bounced off of the rotating blades. In a mere half-minute Rick had risen several feet off the stage. He kept himself low and maneuvered the rehearsed orbit around the stage before landing again.

This time his feet gently touched the ground and he walked to a stop. The helicopter disassembled and vanished back into the fedora. Rick took a bow tipping his hat as he did so.

A smile spread on his lips, he'd at least survived the exposition without any issues. The gathering began to celebrate as they realized he was finished. People cheered and clapped. A man approached the stage. Rick noticed a line for autographs was forming, mostly excited children, but a few teens were in the line as well, hopefully just keeping an eye on younger siblings.

"Inspector Gadget," Rick nodded to him. "I'm Miles Harrison. Can I get an official statement on why you chose my name?"

Rick smiled slightly, "Sure." He waited as Miles pulled out a recording device and turned it on. "Out of all the names the papers gave me, I chose this one for its uniqueness. And Penny liked this one the most." Miles smiled.

"Thanks, so when can I call in that shotgun ride?"

"E-mail me a day two weeks out. I'll get it cleared and we'll be good to go." Rick answered.

"Thank you. Can we get a picture of me shaking your hand?" Miles asked motioning his head towards a photographer. The detective nodded.

Miles took Rick's hand in a firm grip. Both men smiled at the camera and held it till the flash went off. "Thanks again, I won a bet with my sister, she's making me my favorite childhood desert tonight." He grinned as he walked away.

* * *

People hurried past Walter as much of the assembled crowd dispersed. He'd waited till the very end and as he had hoped Doctors Lawrence and Jackson were still here. There was a group of five people standing in a quiet corner talking. He immediately recognized the young girl to be Project Penultimate. He saw the two scientists and of course they're successful cyborg creation. But the other woman he wasn't sure about. She looked a lot like Lawrence, but she could have been any woman for all he knew.

As he got closer his muscles tensed. The pit of his stomach knotted up and his palms just began to sweat. It was a cool spring day and the sun didn't warm him up that much. He'd watched the entire thing. And now he had a job to do. Telling Lawrence that her private work was requested may not be the brightest way to introduce himself, but he couldn't do anything else. Orders were orders. He finally broke the invisible comfort bubble of the group and all eyes turned to him.

He paused. They had all dropped the conversation and were staring at him. Seconds ticked away as he tried to smile, but he couldn't. They all looked so happy and relaxed. What kind of FBI agent destroyed the peace? Penny was staring up at him curiously. Her green eyes were so innocent and she looked so normal it was hard to believe she had developed inside an artificial womb.

Without even knowing it he stuck out his hand to her. "Hi." Was all he could squeak out of his locked throat.

"Hello." She shook his hand cautiously. The cyborg watched him closely.

"FBI?" Rick asked quietly. His eyes seemed to focus on the stranger even more and the irises rotated. Walter nodded and the detective pulled the girl behind him. The unidentified woman took a step with the girl and the scientists grew stiff.

"I'm Agent Riggs." Walter finally answered. He'd pretty much blown that introduction.

"You here to steal more of my work?" Alex asked folding her arms over her chest.

"We've noticed that some of your personal work was missing from our legally obtained documents." Walter replied. He at least remembered how to speak to them. There was a code on what an FBI agent could say. And keeping his words to the point and devoid of common jargon and slang made it easier to confuse people.

"You had legal rights to anything McDowell created. My work was separate for the most part." Alex replied. She wasn't about to let him get away with such blatant lies.

"The Court ruled in favor of the FBI's search and seizure of FutureTech's entire research database." Walter replied. He was suddenly cool and collected. Under no circumstances was anyone allowed to badmouth the FBI. And he had disagreed with their seizure and the resultant shutting down of FutureTech.

"My work wasn't kept in their database. It was kept in a private laptop, which, I still haven't gotten back. That had only about a thousand digital photos saved on it." Walter had inadvertently opened up a wound that had yet to heal. In fact from the way things were going she must have been harboring a hatred for the government agents.

"I do apologize for the inconvenience, but you do understand that we couldn't allow what Calvin McDowell had done to humanity to spread." Walter spoke as though he were discussing a contagious disease.

"Eight years ago I was the sole inheritor of FutureTech, a government funded and supported research facility. We were working for you. When you forced me to shut FutureTech down I had to send fifty of the country's best minds out to fend for themselves. Not only that but you deprived the world of a prosthetic alternative that would guarantee a return to normal living. And you ruined any chance of revolutionizing how we look at organ transplants. Do you know that Genesis Research has gotten their hands on a few of McDowell's original people? Do you know that they acquired stolen blueprints for cybernetic organs? Do you also know that they receive funding from Canada, France, Germany, and Brittan?" Alex exploded in his face.

Walter blinked and stepped back from the woman. This information was not in his dossier. He wondered if anyone back at HQ knew.

Alex stormed away as she tried to keep her emotions under some form of control. Grant followed after giving Walter a rather displeased glare.

"You shouldn't have said that." Rick finally spoke up. "She's been working night and day to better humanity, and all you have for her stolen personal files is some rehearsed apology."

Walter's cheeks warmed. He didn't expect anyone to call him out. And he'd be damned if some science experiment was going to be the one. "I have my orders Guardian." He said evenly.

Rick's eyes flashed. "I think we're done here." He turned away. Jessica and Penny headed in the direction Alex had gone. Rick followed them without so much as a glance back.


	13. Do You Love Me?

They found Grant standing outside the women's restroom. "She's in there." Grant answered the questioning eyes. He moved aside and let Jessica in.

Jessica walked into the room and found Alex staring at her reflection in the mirror.

"I can't handle them destroying me a second time." The distraught woman began. "I've got contracts on the table and a presentation for a science exposition that I have to rebuild from scratch. That FBI agent had no right to come here. The court decided that they had everything they needed. If they want the rest I have to give it to them."

"I know," Jessica replied softly.

"It took me years to get my reputation back up. If it weren't for the inheritance I would have been on the streets a long time ago." Alex furthered her rant.

"They destroyed your credit." Jessica agreed.

"They can't do this to me!" Alex yelled. Jessica winced at the sudden outburst and stepped closer.

"You won't let them." Jessica assured. "Grant won't let them, Rick and I won't let them. You've never taken anything sitting down before. If they want a fight we'll give it to them. They'll learn the mistake they've made." She spoke with confidence.

"That's right." Alex nodded. "They won't know what hit them. I need to get those contracts with the AMA signed immediately. If I don't sell some of my stuff now it'll be waiting for them to steal it. I want to know if Ford is interested in the vehicle designs I sent them or not. If I still own those I'm dead for sure. McDowell helped me with those, legally they aren't exactly mine."

"That's no problem. I'm sure someone will like your work." Jessica smiled. "Come on. We're Lawrence women, since when did we let anyone walk all over us?"

Alex grinned back. "Daddy would be proud." She said as she hugged her sister.

"Then let's show them what they get when they mess with a Lawrence!" Jessica shouted.

They went back out to the others.

* * *

Walter hung up the hotel room phone and sighed. Two days had passed. With the Lawrence mansion under construction and 'Inspector Gadget' the latest local fad he had been unable to complete much work. And now it was too late. Alex had sold the designs that McDowell had started with her. Now that she was no longer the owner the FBI couldn't touch them. While normally Alex could have been arrested for selling things the FBI had claim to, the courts had awarded Alex the right to sell or willingly handover whatever research the FBI had missed.

He stood up and paced. Walter had little else he could do until the FBI decided something.

He loosened his tie and took it off. With a change in plans on the way he was nervous. Seeing as he had already blown it the first time there was no way he could get near Alex. And that would make his job much harder.

Walter was ashamed of how that meeting had went. He'd been so nervous and scared that his own prejudice had tainted his thinking. Though he still thought that a man becoming a cyborg was unethical. He sighed.

* * *

Rick's palm flew to his face the minute he saw it. The artwork Jessica had comprised for the logo and icon of her own boyfriend was humiliatingly cartoony. She had drawn a series of full color images depicting some of the unbelievable things Rick could do. She hadn't disfigured him too much, just given everything a touch of undeniable cartoon emphasis.

For one thing, she'd made him just a bit more clumsy than he usually was. His short black hair had grown in length and reminded Rick just a bit of Einstein's wild hair. The coat and hat were showcased rather nicely and some ridiculous stuff they didn't have had been added. That horrible catch phrase was pasted to a few of the pieces.

Over all he knew it would be better to play along. But Jessica was leaving to visit a friend in California for the weekend. So tonight they were having dinner before she left early the next morning.

"Do I have to be such a cartoon character?" Rick asked.

"Rick, you have to understand. Cyborgs are not always the hero in our storytelling. In order to build up a good view of you we have to endear the people of this city to you. And that is made by reminding them of your humanity." Jessica began. "Now most people believe that silly trope that 'cybernetics eat your soul'. If you're portrayed as compassionate, brave, and just a little clumsy, the people will better connect to you. People want to see something human in you. If they don't, they won't trust you to protect them."

Rick nodded. It made sense. "Good," she smiled. "Now Alex wanted to know about designing a second coat for you."

"Wait." Rick grabbed her hand. "It's Friday night. All business for Inspector Gadget will have to wait till Monday morning. I'm asking you to go on your date with Rick Barnes." He said.

Jessica kissed his cheek. "Of course." She set the art boards down.

"Thank you."

Dinner was at Outback Steakhouse. Rick and Jessica sat there talking long after they're plates had been cleared. "Rick." Jess started a new conversation after a few minutes of silence. "Why haven't you ever mentioned the word marriage?" They had known each other for seven years. And had been dating for five.

Rick's face flushed. "Well," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I haven't brought it up."

Jessica was looking at him intently. "Do you not think of me that way?" She asked.

"You're the only person I would consider marriage for." Rick replied instantly. The words surprised him as they came out.

"Then why not?" Jessica asked a pleading look in her brown eyes.

Rick almost hesitated, but for some reason he had no thinking involved. "I don't know." He replied. He certainly felt a deep connection to her. And while he didn't just fling the word love around, it was obviously there.

"Are you afraid?" Jessica asked. So far he hadn't said anything that made her worry or angered her. She was beginning to think that he was just too busy with everything else he had on his plate.

"No." He replied frowning. "I don't think that's it."

"Are you worried about how it would effect Penny?" She continued.

"The two of you get along as if you were mother and daughter. It would probably be good for her." He answered. She smiled at that.

"Do you love me?" Jessica asked.

Rick didn't have to think but he knew if he waited just a second or two before answering it would be wise. "I love you." He replied sincerely with a smile.

"Ok." Jessica replied. "Are you just too busy to give it any thought?" She pressed.

Rick felt like he was taking an exam. But judging by Jess's reaction he'd answered them correctly. "That could be it," he said with a sheepish smile. "I guess between taking care of Penny, my work, and formerly keeping a lid on certain facts I just didn't put any thought into it."

"Well I think I see an opening there." Jess said emphatically.

Rick couldn't disagree. He nodded.

"But I don't want any proposal tonight or this next week. You have to surprise me, and put some effort into it." She instructed.

"Of course." Rick replied. Who was he to argue with his girlfriend?

When he dropped her off at her house she kissed him before climbing out of the car. "You keep yourself out of trouble while I'm gone." She said pulling away. "I don't want a repeat of my last out-of-town weekend."

"Yes ma'am." He gave her a mock salute. She giggled. "I promise I won't get myself stuck to a junkyard magnet again."

She smiled. "I'll call you when I arrive safe and sound." She said as she opened her door and got out.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Rick watched her open her door and go inside. He waited a few more seconds until she turned on the front light. It was a sign that nothing was out of the ordinary.

He pulled out and headed for home. He tried not to dwell on the events that had happened the last time she left. But she'd already sparked the memory.

It had started with a complaint about some scrap metal being stolen from a junkyard. And then the dogs guarding the said yard were found dead. Killed by gunshots. Rick was sent to check up on things. This was months back and he'd been trying to keep from getting noticed.

Of course the suspect ran right under the activated electromagnet. Rick didn't even see the dang thing until it was too late. As he passed under a shadow he felt a shudder from within and then his feet lifted off the ground. He hit the magnet with a painful thump.

The magnet was too powerful for him to fight against. He was completely incapacitated. And what was worse was that the magnet's energy field began to cause his own systems to act weird.

The suspect had ran off without even glancing back. For a solid ten minutes Rick had to scream for someone to turn off the magnet. The hum it made was deafening to a point that the operator barely heard him despite his vocal amplifier. When the magnet was shut off Rick fell two stories to the ground. With his operating system trying to recover he had no time to respond accordingly.

He met the hard dirt with a lung crushing smash that jostled every joint, gear, and circuit board far worse than they were designed to withstand. He managed to stay awake and successfully called Alex and the Sergeant.

It had taken Alex and Grant three days to repair all the damage. Jessica came back from her trip before they were finished and found him in a sorry state. She'd gotten so mad at him for his carelessness.

"What kind of idiot doesn't realize there's a deadly magnet floating over him?" She had yelled at Rick while he rested between repair sessions.

"This idiot." He'd snapped back. "I was in pursuit. How could I have known?" He had made a good point. He was focused on a man who could possibly have the nerve to take a human life.

For Rick the whole story was a bit humiliating. He should have known better than to run willy-nilly in a junkyard. He shook his head to dispel the memory.

* * *

The next morning Walter showed up at Rick's house. Rick looked at him in surprise. "Agent Riggs, what do you want?"

Walter shifted his weight nervously. "I'm here to apologize."

"Why?' Rick asked warily.

"Because we were wrong." Walter answered. "I also want to congratulate Lawrence on selling all the files I originally came for. Please let her know that we're also looking into her allegation about the stolen files being used."

"So you're going to leave us all alone just like that?" Rick didn't believe him.

"I am done here for now, but I am going to return in a few weeks."

"Why?"

"That I can't say." Walter said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a plane to catch."

"Until next time Agent Riggs," Rick said closing the door.

What Walter hadn't mentioned was that the FBI still wanted to see some of the files Alex had. Some that the FBI was willing to buy from her. Not all of her work was as insane as her cybernetic designs.

But before he could do that he had to let the scientist cool down. And then he would be accompanied by his partner.


	14. Business Trip!

Time passed and the excitement winded down. It took one month to repair the Lawrence estate. Alex and Grant still had to repair the lab themselves. Nobody else could put their computers and devices back together again. Penny was invited to come and help. So far she had shown little interest in performing any science on her own. They both hoped that getting her hands into the work would kick start something.

Rick proposed to Jessica. No one knew he was going to, except for Penny. He'd asked her if she would be ok with Jessica marrying him. To his surprise she had looked him in the eye and said: "Of course I will support your marriage to Jess, I have been waiting for you to."

Penny was quick, she observed everything, and she kept her mouth shut until someone brought the subject up. Unless it was something important.

Penny returned from helping her aunt and uncle with a box of computer parts. She had everything she needed to build her own lap top from scratch. She spread all the parts out on the kitchen table and with the help of a few books she'd borrowed from Grant, began piecing something together.

Rick watched silently. It was easy to forget that her brain had literally been grown to handle such tasks at an early age.

Penny's fingers moved swiftly over the parts, she held them up to the light inspecting them for flaws or defects and double checked them with the books. As she set things out in the design she wanted the whole mess of parts slowly took on the shape of a lap top.

She worked for hours, and seeing as it wasn't a school night Rick let her stay up. He continued to watch her. Sometimes she'd ask him to hold a part for her. He didn't ask her many questions. He hated people talking to him while he focused on certain tasks.

She ran up to her room halfway through and returned minutes later with a metal book decoration she'd been given. With his help she took it apart. She put the computer together inside the book. The screen had been among the parts given to her and when she was finished sometimes around four am there was a fully functional laptop hidden in what looked like a large book.

Penny wanted to continue with downloading software and hardware and setting at all up. But Rick wanted to go to bed and his daughter needed some rest before the weekend. It wasn't every Saturday that a girl got to go with her father's fiancé and help pick out wedding dresses.

Of course Rick wasn't as lucky. He was going to be spending the day with Alex and Grant. They were headed to the nearest AMA office in California. Unfortunately Rick was going to be part of Alex's presentation to them. A group of medical authorities had agreed to see what Alex could do with Cybernetic Organ Replacement.

The best way to show that was to offer up a live patient who had lived with the transplants for an extended period of time. Rick's body had been a cybernetic success for eight years; with no sign that the false organs were deteriorating or being rejected.

Alex was willing to bet her entire credibility on her cybernetic organs. And as a favor to her Rick had agreed to let her use him to prove they were

Alex and Jessica arrived at the house around 6:00. Penny was half asleep, but eager to go. Rick hugged her and Jessica before they got into the car. "You girls have fun."

"Oh I don't think we'll have any fun." Jessica said with a smile. Penny beamed at her words.

"Bye Daddy." She said as she climbed into the blue sedan.

"She stayed up all night putting a computer together. She may need to sleep in the car." Rick whispered to Jess.

"Don't worry," she assured. "I'll make sure she's ready to go." She kissed his cheek.

Rick nodded with a smile. Alex took it as a cue for her to nab the cyber-detective. "Ok Inspector Gadget," she said purposely using his celebrity moniker to annoy him. "Let's roll out, we don't have much time to waste on pretty girls."

Rick rolled his eyes. "Yes ma'am." He said giving her a crooked salute.

Alex shook her head as she climbed back into her SUV. Rick waved to Penny through the window and then climbed into the passenger seat.

Alex waited till Jess pulled out. "I worry about those two." Rick admitted.

"Why?" Alex asked as she drove away from the house.

Rick watched his house disappear in the rear view mirror. "They're related to you and I in so many ways it's easy to use them as bait for us." He explained. Alex looked at him with concern.

"I know, that's why I gave Jessica a couple modifications. Her car is equipped to handle dangerous situations. And her phone is indestructible and always transmits her whereabouts to my computers at home. If she goes somewhere that's out of her norm or out of a reasonable boundary I get a text message."

She sounded confident that nothing could happen.

"I guess it's no use worrying all the time. It's jus that that attack last month really shook me up." Rick continued.

"I know. It's got all of us paranoid. I programmed all of Jessica's proposed destinations into the computer today. If she goes somewhere else I'm calling her." The scientist admitted sheepishly.

Rick chuckled. "Guess we all worry." He mumbled.

A few minutes of quiet passed as the scenery changed from suburbia to the highway and the casino skyline of Reno. Hotels with blaring neon rose up above everything except for the snow capped mountains surrounding the city.

"Are you nervous about this afternoon?" Alex asked.

"Naw," Rick answered without looking at her. "I'm gettin used to the attention."

"That's good." Alex replied. "Hey Rick, you don't have any regrets do you?" Her question was dead serious.

"Why should I?" He asked. "I'm alive, I've got a daughter, a fiancé, and I'm a detective that doesn't have to worry so much about coming home in a body bag." He listed off the pros in his life.

"But do you regret giving up so much of your human body?" Alex asked. Her current line of questioning had caught Rick off guard.

"No. Hey, what man can get the remote off the TV stand without havin' to stand up?" He asked.

"Don't joke." She gave him a dark look. "Listen Rick, the AMA wants to know if you have any emotional trauma, any regrets, or even if you loathe your body."

That made a lot of sense. Alex had asked him once if he wanted to live, she'd never in her years of friendship asked him if he regretted accepting her offer.

"I regret nothin' at all." Rick replied sobering up. He didn't. He'd grown used to the HUD, was fond of having everyday tools in his fingers, and even enjoyed some of the publicity he was getting. "It's not the normal way, but it sure beats bein' six feet under." He added.

Alex sighed with relief. "I've never assumed that you might have negative emotions toward your current circumstances. When the AMA told me they were going to ask you all that stuff I started to wonder."

"You could of started the conversation with that. You still act like a June Bug sometimes Alex." Rick said with a brotherly smile.

The scientist laughed. "Wow you haven't called me that since the first time you walked after the surgery."

"Well maybe I ought to call you it more often." He waggled his eyebrows threateningly.

"You do and I swear I'll put that phone in your hand." She counter-threatened.

"You wouldn't dare." Rick's eyes were wide.

"I would." Alex replied. "It'll be your wedding present from me!" She announced with an evil cackle.

The two laughed as she took the airport exit. The Reno-Tahoe Airport was large, but it had nothing on the Kansas City Airport. It was just big enough for the business that came through it. For all of the city's advertisement it really wasn't a metropolitan area. It was small in comparison to big cities. For this Rick was grateful.

But it meant that Reno tried three times as hard for publicity. And the novelty of a cyborg detective was not exempt from such stunts.

Alex parked her car in the lot. She would come back for it late tonight. It was cheaper than paying for each hour it sat in the garage.

"You ready to be a specimen?" Alex asked as she pulled a suitcase from the back. Rick took it from her.

"Sure." He replied not trying to sound enthusiastic. "Where's Grant?"

"Already inside waiting for us. He wanted to get here early and get you the proper TSA clearance without making a scene."

Rick nodded. "Oh yea." He said suddenly remembering how much trouble the security agents could be.

"Don't be worried." Alex said. "I'm going to have to shut down your weapons system for the flight though. I promised TSA I would."

"That's fine. I can survive a two hour flight without my weapons." Rick returned.

The two headed into the long building. The sound of jet engines was suddenly cut off as the glass doors closed behind them. Alex found Grant with two TSA agents waiting for them.

She tugged on Rick's sleeve and they headed over. The TSA agents demanded to see that Rick was disarmed and would remain that way.

Alex had it done in ten minutes. Rick always felt a little off when the secondary systems were shut down. The targeting array in his eye was gone and he felt like something was missing. The dialogue box scrolled to let him know what Alex had done.

SECONDARY FUNCTIONS TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE.

DEFENSE SYSTEMS LOCKED.

WEAPONS SYSTEMS LOCKED.

ACCESS TO WEAPONS LIST AND CONFIGURATIONS LOCKED.

UNABLE TO LOAD AMMUNITION.

UNABLE TO ACTIVATE GPS.

UNABLE TO ACCESS RADAR.

FLIGHT MODE ACTIVATED.

The TSA agents weren't exactly sold that he couldn't activate anything, but they let Rick go. Alex had complied as far as they'd asked her without any trouble. They give Rick a sheet of paper and told him to take it to the check-in counter.

At the check-in counter a woman in a grey suit handed him a laminated card attached to a rubber lanyard. It read; TSA Clearance Card. Unable to pass through metal detector and body scan due to medical issues. This passenger is authorized to pass through without further examination.

Alex rolled her eyes, "they can't do anything that isn't by the book these days." She commented as they hurried up the stairs. The metal detector line was long. Alex sighed as they waited. While Rick didn't have to pass through the scanner, his jacket and shoes still did.

He was glad he'd remembered to wear normal shoes. The ones Alex had constructed were nice. But they wouldn't have passed the TSA. Not with all the electronic components crammed into them. And the leather jacket he had brought was old, worn to death, and comfortable. Jessica loathed the thing. She thought it looked like something a single guy would wear.

They got through the scanners without any problems and then boarded the plane. Their wait was short, Alex had not been so crazy as to leave hours of time to sit and do nothing. For one thing it wasn't comfortable or relaxing, and it wasn't fair to Rick to cut him off from all his cybernetic enhancements for longer than was required.

They had first class seats, Grant and Alex both disliked crammed quarters. Living in a mansion sure gave them a lot of space.

On the plane Rick tried to relax. He felt unbalanced and tense. He was beginning to expect danger at all times. It seemed that it followed him like a shadow and always jumped up at the worst of times.

He pulled a book from his pocket and glanced across the aisle at his traveling partners. They were looking over some written notes for the day's presentation. Rick grimaced and turned to his book. It was a western he'd been trying to read for months. He just didn't have the patience for reading though and usually something more pressing caught his attention whenever he opened the book.

He started reading and managed to get a chapter finished by the time the plane had taken off and was cruising. He had started the next chapter when a voice broke through to him. "Sir, can I get you a drink?" It was a flight attendant. She was young with dark short hair and bright crystal blue eyes.

"Um, just some water." Rick replied. The woman looked at him funny.

"Coming up." She poured him a plastic cup of water and handed him the cup and the half empty bottle. Rick nodded his thanks and sighed. Now that his focus was broken he was inclined to just put the book up. He'd be too worried about his drink spilling and he was no longer held by intrigue.

He sipped the water and returned the piece of yarn between the pages before closing the book.

* * *

In a dark room a blond man with piercing blue eyes sat in a chair shivering. Someone had pulled the strings to get him out of jail, and now he sat in a new one. The door opened and a man stepped in. "You failed me." The voice was like a roll of thunder hinted with European.

"I'm sorry." The man replied not looking up.

"You were to destroy one target. I gave you a single order. I gave you tools and money. Your foolish Nazi wannabes weren't good enough. Lawrence's creation is still alive. I wanted him dead for a reason. My plans have a weakness, he is that weakness.'

"We did our best." The leader of the Purist Reich assured.

"No. You turned to run. I saw it." The man replied. On his right arm gleamed a silver gauntlet.

"He's a monster."

"Yes. Did you feel fear?" There was no answer. The gauntleted arm swung a crushing backhand. A yelp of pain escaped the smaller man's lips. A few drops of blood fell to the concrete floor.

"Are you afraid now?"

"No." Came the weak reply.

"Really?" The voice carried surprise. "Why?"

"Because I plan to make good on my promise." The blond man looked up, the gash in his forehead left a scarlet smear. "I will destroy that abomination even if it kills me to do so."

"Good." The man chuckled darkly. "I will give you your freedom, but remember that I let you go once. It won't be a mistake I make twice."

"I understand."


	15. A Beating Heart

Penny stared at the white satin bodice and the trailing skirts trimmed with silver rhinestones. Jessica fidgeted with the shoulder straps a little and looked at the girl. "Well?"

"It's beautiful, but you don't look like all those women on the TV. You aren't crying." The girl replied.

Jess nodded in agreement. "Next." She said to the dress consultant. The two women left Penny alone on her seat.

The small wedding dress shop was a frilly elegant place. The chairs were wood framed with cushioned backs and seats. Jessica had tried on four or five dresses already. None of them had struck either of them as 'the dress'.

Jessica had tried on what she thought she would like, but as was the case with brides, none of them fit just right or looked perfect. So each one had been sent back to the racks unsuccessful. The consultant had promised the next gown would be something totally different.

A few minutes later Jess came back out.

This time in a pearl white gown. It was slightly asymmetrical with a dropped waist and a short train. The top satin seemed sleeveless but matching lace that climbed from the top of the satin to around her neck. It ended at the edges of her shoulders. There were beads on the left side of the skirt. Jessica beamed in it with glassy eyes.

"Oh that's marvelous." Penny exclaimed. "It's gorgeous." She added.

"Isn't it?" Jessica asked. The consultant seemed pleased with herself.

"How will you be paying my dear?"

"Cash." Jessica replied. There was no question about it. This was her dress. A tear escaped down her cheek.

"You can't tell Dad." Penny commented. The consultant looked at the two for a minute. She was dressed in a black blouse and pants and had assumed that Penny was Jessica's daughter. They both had blond hair and seemed so close.

Jess caught the look. "Penny is my fiancé's daughter." The woman nodded understandingly.

"How wonderful to be so close. Is your fiancé divorced?" Jess shook her head.

"No. Penny isn't biologically his. She's adopted." This seemed to confuse the woman more. "Never mind. Please lets just get this off and finish ordering it." Jess decided it wasn't worth it.

The woman nodded and within the hour the two ladies left.

* * *

For Rick his day wasn't as easy. When they arrived at the AMA Alex had yet to unlock his weapons systems. She'd decided it was best to focus on what was important.

They were sent into a room with chairs to wait. Alex had everything organized. Grant seemed uncommonly relaxed. He was quiet but didn't fidget or talk nervously the way that Rick was and he didn't keep looking over his own stuff like his wife.

"You sure are calm." Rick whispered. Alex was busy reading her paperwork again. It kept her mind on something else and gave her a chance to double check everything one final time.

Grant smiled. "I'm not nervous until I see their faces. I'll probably freeze up a little once we begin." He whispered back.

"Good luck." Rick replied. He didn't have a whole lot of talking to do. He'd be answering their questions, most likely they'd be personal ones.

A woman in a sharp skirted suit opened a door. "Dr.'s Lawrence and Jackson?" She asked. The three stood up. Alex quickly tucked her papers back into her briefcase. "Please follow me." She turned back towards the room she'd come from.

They followed her into a conference room with a group of aging men and women. There were a few younger people and they all looked like they were hoping to see something worth their time.

Alex smiled at them confidently. Rick nodded his head to them. Had he been wearing his hat he would have tipped it to them. Grant did as he had said. He stepped in awkwardly and didn't make eye contact. There were three empty seats at the end of the table everyone was seated at.

Alex took the head seat Grant at her right and Rick to her left. The group looked at them intently.

"Welcome Dr. Lawrence." An aging man in a dark suit spoke up. He was balding and wore round thin rimmed glasses.

"Thank you for allowing me the honor to bring my work before you all." Alex replied.

"If you are ready please begin."

Grant was already pulling things out of briefcases and setting them in an order. Alex took a flash drive. "Where would I insert this into the projector?" She asked. The man who had greeted her pointed to a table in the corner with a computer tower on it. It was on and Alex hurriedly plugged it in.

She began speaking. "I know that many of you are probably very skeptical about what I've brought to you today. All I ask is that you listen, watch, and please ask questions." The projector screen turned on and Alex pulled up a chart of the number of organ transplants in a year and the number of patients waiting for transplants. The numbers weren't very good. Too many people waited for a transplant and too few were actually granted one.

"You all know what this is." Alex said. "What I have can make these statistics switch. I can provide the entire world with efficient prosthetic organs that will eliminate the need for donors of the same blood type, require less recovery time, and will cut the waiting time to nothing."

Murmurs began. She was expecting this. Nobody needed to ask questions yet. She continued. "These are the designs I worked on years ago with the help of my mentor Dr. McDowell." The screen changed to some blueprints.

"I've continued to work on these designs and eight years ago I employed them in the first test run. Detective Barnes was dieing. He needed numerous organ transplants. And in today's world that was impossible.

"The explosion he was in took his right lung and the right ventricle of his heart. His liver and left kidney were also unsalvageable. With his permission I replaced the destroyed organ tissue with the cybernetic replacements.

"Today my patient is healthy and strong. He's had no signs of rejection and has needed no repairs. Actually he's been through some rather harrowing incidents and being throne from racing vehicles or falling from a story high has not caused any damage to the prosthetic organs."

This seemed to get a little more interest out of the assembled doctors. "What keeps them running?" A female doctor in the back asked.

"Using synthetic veins the artificial organs accept and process the nutrients brought from human blood. It runs on no more than the average organ does." Alex was ready. Rick was impressed by how sharp and quickly she answered the questions that came to her.

"Are there any side effects?"

"None whatsoever that we have observed."

"How long is the recovery time?"

"Detective Barnes was stable and on his feet in two weeks."

"What about children?"

"That's simple. I have designs for smaller organs. They will have the ability to 'grow' with the patient. A checkup every six months will help the doctors know when and how much organ expansion to initiate. It's run by a doctor can be done wirelessly and painlessly. No anesthesia or surgery necessary."

"How are these artificial organs controlled?"

"Through a nerve-like wire grafted along the spine through the spinal cord and into the brain stem. There will be a tiny neural net grafted to the pinpoint location that controls that organ's functions."

"I want to see an x-ray of this so called patient." Alex paused for a brief moment.

"Could it be that you do not believe in the work I have brought you?" She asked.

The same gruff voice came from an ancient looking man who stood up. "No I don't." He snapped.

"If it's physical proof you want I can show you." Alex replied easily.

"Then please do so." He retorted.

"If you'll all be patient." Alex said turning to Rick. "I'm sorry Rick, but I have to ask you to do something rather uncomfortable."

Rick had been enjoying the show till now. If there was anything Rick hated it was Alex's checkups. It was the way she had repaired his body to be accessible in any circumstance. If necessary she could effect repairs in a moving vehicle without the hospital clean room environment.

"This is why I tagged along." Rick replied. "If ya'll will excuse me a moment, you'll get your proof." He said to the doctors seated around the table.

"Is there a smaller room they can use real quick?" Alex asked. The doctor who had originally greeted her nodded and pointed to a door. Rick and Grant rose and left the room.

Grant was almost laughing. "You have the worst of luck my friend."

"Don't I know it." Rick replied. He unbuttoned his shirt and sat down on the desk in the middle of the room. Grant pulled a device from his pocket. He turned it on.

"I hate doing this to you. But I think we'll just have the ones who need to see come in here one at a time." He held the device up to Rick's bare chest and pushed a series of buttons.

Rick felt the sudden jolt of pain and then one of the scars on the right side of his chest came apart. It was actually a seam created to allow easy access.

Grant checked the opening to make sure it was ok and looked inside. The artificial lung was a silicone sack that began in a metal connector with the nerve wires coming out. It had a series of wires running down it and a light at the connector flashed green. "They may have a heart attack." He said with a devious smile.

Rick shook his head.

* * *

Thirty minutes later Rick was dressed again and back at his seat. He looked at the tabletop in silence. He had let them peer into a world that was extremely private and just a touch sensitive. Not that he was ashamed, just that it was an awkward thing to do. Letting doctors stick their faces close to his chest and have a gander inside of him.

There was a stunned silence in the room. All of them had taken their turn to see Alex's living proof.

Alex had sat down. She knew that they would soon have to begin their discussion.

"I don't believe it." A woman said incredulously.

"I can, we're looking at the apprentices of McDowell." A man replied.

"There may be something here." Another murmured.

"It's too unethical." A second woman almost yelled.

And just like that a debate began. After fifteen minutes of arguing the obvious head of the meeting spoke up.

"Now everyone. Before you go judging Dr. Lawrence's work why don't we ask the patient some questions?" People agreed. All eyes turned on Rick.

The man asked the first question. "Do you have any regrets at all for what Dr. Lawrence did to save your life?"

Rick met his eyes. "I was a dead man. Lawrence offered me a single albeit unconventional chance. I chose it of my free will. I am without regret."

"And do you ever feel that you cheated death?" A woman asked.

"No. When a person comes to his time, there is no escaping' the inevitable."

"Is there any pain associated with your artificial organs?"

Rick shook his head. "I am never in pain caused by the implants."

"What about your recovery. How hard was it?"

"My body reacted to the mechanical replacements as if I were born with them. No pain, no real recovery. I was monitored for a while, but as Dr. Lawrence said. I was feelin' fit enough to walk within two weeks."

"You're not afraid that one of those false organs might malfunction on you?"

"I trust the person who built them. After almost a decade I haven't had a single complaint. There is nothin' for me to fear."

These answers started up the debate again. Alex was thanked for her presentation and told that they would call her in a week to let her know if they wanted to start a trial run or if her work would be black labeled for future use.


	16. An Explosive Introduction

Rick had just dropped Penny off at school when the first explosion shook the city Monday morning. A sound like a million shotguns going off at once rang through the southern end of Reno. Rick watched as the earth belched a black plume of smoke. He flicked a switch on the dashboard of his Ford Mustang and a light bar rose from the top of the car. A siren kicked in and he made a sharp turn in the direction of the explosion. Cars slowed and even stopped as drivers looked on incredulously.

Rick didn't even reach for the radio on the dash. He activated his internal radio and spoke as he swerved past slowing or stopped cars. "This is Detective Barnes. I'm on route to an explosion of some kind in the South Reno Area. Please confirm the emergency."

There was a sharp crackling in his ears that made him wince and then Sergeant Hanson's voice came back, "We're getting a number of 911 calls patched through to us. The Barnes and Noble Warehouse exploded. Paramedics and Fire Fighters are on the way. What is your ETA to arrive on scene?"

Rick looked at the smoke and calculated the distance as best he could. "I'd say within the next five minutes."

"Proceed. Begin by evacuating anyone inside who's still alive."

"10-4." Rick replied.

The connection went dead. Rick continued past cars on Mount Rose Highway. He was lucky to be so close. Penny's school was up at Tahoe. A private academy with uniforms and all. Rick didn't trust a school bus up the winding narrow path so he took her to school himself.

He sped onto the north bound freeway towards the growing smoke cloud. A few seconds later he could see the flames and the destroyed building. The warehouse had a huge gaping hole in the side. Boxes of books had shot out of the opening and were either in flames or covered in blackened dust.

Chunks of cement and twisted steel littered the parking lot outside of the building. Some had fallen on or crashed into the cars of the warehouse employees. Heat rolled off the flaming wreckage as did the thick black smoke.

He barely shut the SUV off before he darted into the opening. He wasn't worried about smoke inhalation or getting burned. He was impervious to that sort of thing now.

Debris fell around the inside like intermittent rain. Flames lit the room with a fiery red glow and the smoke clung around the ceiling. The scent of ash and burning paper was almost overwhelming. And then there was the smell of burnt flesh. It hung around the bodies of victims like a noxious gas. Rick searched for those still alive.

He collected a pair of women and rushed them back out. His HUD screen gave him a reading on who was alive and who was already gone. He tried not to let his eyes linger on the mutilated faces and blistered arms. He grabbed a young man and raced for the opening again. He set the people one at a time in a row on the asphalt a short distance from the building.

He made a total of four runs before he noticed that others had arrived. Paramedics were already racing around those he'd rescued. Police were forcing the crowd back and setting up a perimeter. Fire trucks were on scene and spewing water at the burning building.

Firefighters suited up ran into the building searching for survivors. Rick followed them in. He went back for another man he knew was still alive. He found him struggling to get up. Rick approached the man slowly. "Let me help you." The man nodded through his shock and fear. Rick hauled him over his shoulder effortlessly and looked around for anyone else nearby. A teenaged girl with one of her legs missing lay barely breathing a few yards away.

Rick managed to snag her and make his way back out. As he raced out of the building the wall where he'd just been collapsed. Fire Fighters carrying victims poured out. Rick dropped his people off at the paramedics and turned back towards the building. A helicopter flew over carrying an enormous bucket. The bucket opened and water rained down onto the warehouse.

This weakened the flames considerably. The smoke worsened and spread out towards the rescue workers and police. A car at the far end of the lot exploded in a bright ball of fire. Someone trained a hose on it instantly and the flames were quenched in seconds.

The Fire Fighters continued spraying the building and as the flames began to turn into smoldering piles of ash more ran in. Rick was about to follow after when a familiar voice stopped him.

"Come on Barnes. You and I have somewhere else to be." It was Greg Tanner.

"Where?" Rick asked. The two hadn't been partnered up in a while.

"A threat has been broadcast about a second explosion at the convention center. Hanson wants you and I to try and stop the arsonists before they blow another building sky high."

Rick nodded. "Alright Tanner, but this time we take my car." Greg didn't argue.

They raced to the Mustang and hopped in. Rick turned the lights and siren on as he pulled out. Greg grabbed the radio on the dash and pressed the button. "This is Tanner and Barnes, we're on route to the convention center."

Hanson's voice came clearly through the speaker. "Good. They've got some kind of chemical bomb. I want you two to stop and apprehend the bastards. I want to know who's blowing up this city!"

"Yes sir." Greg replied before returning the radio mic to it's cradle.

"So they blow up one building, then let us know where they are gonna set off the next one?" Rick asked as he got on the highway.

Greg nodded with a grimace on his lips. "They sure wanted to get some attention."

Rick looked at his partner and decided it was time for some fun. "You might want to hang on." The other man looked at him in question. Rick's reply was a slight devious smile.

He pulled open the console between the two front seats. Inside was a panel with a series of switches on it. Rick kept his eyes on the road and flicked a couple of them. "Get ready for this." Rick warned.

He then pressed his thumb on what looked like the finger pad on laptops. A green light came on and the car suddenly jolted forward. The road began to fly by as did the cars they passed. Rick kept his eyes fixed on the road and navigated the busy highway with ease.

Greg clutched the arm rests as he tried not to scream. The city sped past and in seconds Rick was taking the Convention Center exit. He flicked another switch on the panel and the car slowed to a normal speed. They came off the highway hot though and sped through oncoming traffic and made a few sharp turns. They came to a screeching halt in the Center parking lot.

Greg got out of the car quickly and almost threw up. "What was that?"

Rick raced by towards the building. "That was the jet propulsion system." He answered the question as if it were a common car accessory. He was used to Alex's fancy inventions.

Greg followed behind slowly. They entered the building with guns in hand and whispered decisions.

"You take the left I'll take the right." Rick murmured. Greg nodded silently. "If you find them fire a shot into the air." Rick pulled away towards the main hall.

He crept through the open doors into an empty exposition hall. There was no one in sight at first glance. But there were stacks of chairs and tables that could be hiding anyone.

Rick headed for the nearest hiding spot and began a methodical search. After about twenty minutes the speakers came on. "Greetings officers."

Rick froze. He looked up at a security camera. Of course the suspects were in the security room. "You have exactly five minutes to leave before the bomb goes off."

The cyber cop was already charging for the security room. He dashed up a flight of stairs followed by Greg a moment later. Rick kicked open the door right as one of the criminals was about to make his escape. The door flew off it's hinges into the man. Rick leveled his handgun and searched the darkened room. In the center of it was a large wooden box. Wire looped around it and a digital timer read 4:33.

The seconds ticked off as Rick raced to try and diffuse it. He did a quick over look waiting for the HUD to respond with instructions.

CHEMICAL EXPLOSIVE DEVICE DETECTED.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

DIFFUSE DEVICE BY SEPARATING THE CONTROL WIRE FROM THE TIMING DEVICE.

USE EXTREME CARE.

Rick knelt to take care of it when something struck the back of his head. It hurt but he didn't go down. He spun around to see that it was Greg who had pistol whipped him. The other man looked a little deflated.

"What?" Rick asked as he dodged a second attack.

"You don't deserve to be alive." Greg replied crossly. "You're an abomination that needs to be destroyed."

Rick jumped to his feet and activated the targeting array. He needed to use force on Greg. "So you want to kill me too?" Rick asked. As of late a lot of people had wanted him dead. A long list of death threats from white supremacists and anti-medical groups had been coming to the precinct.

"You made a fool of me once. You and your cybernetic body." Greg snarled. The man was pointing his gun at Rick's head.

"Tanner, just drop the gun. What good will killing me do?" Rick asked. He had to stop the crazy cop before the bomb went off.

"It'll put an end to creating more monstrosities like yourself."

Rick took offense at these words. He kicked the gun from Greg's hand in a sudden flash. "You always were too slow." Rick snapped as he took a couple cheap shots. He didn't care. There was a bomb that only had 3:00 left on the timer.

Rick slammed Greg into a wall and was surprised by a sneak attack from the goon on the floor. He tried to strangle Rick from behind. The detective remained calm and drove his steel framed fist into the man's face. The arsonist fell to the floor unconscious.

"Tanner, I hereby arrest you for the attempted murder of a fellow officer of the law." Rick said grabbing the man's right arm and pulling a pair of cuffs from his trench coat. Greg pulled a tazer from his pocket and activated it against Rick's arm.

He pulled back in pain. "Take that." Greg swung a foot into Rick's face. Rick fell backwards onto the bomb. He glanced at it. There were two minutes left.

He activated the blade in his right arm and was about to slice what his HUD told him was the master cord when Greg rammed full force into him.

Rick went to the ground slightly dazed. Greg came up a bit disoriented as well. Rick swung his right arm in a wide arc forcing Greg to back up. "Don't even try it again." Rick warned activating the other in his left.

Greg circled around him and threw a coffee mug at Rick. Rick deftly knocked it away to the ground where it shattered. But Greg had given himself just the opening he needed. He lunged forward through the opening and tackled Rick to the ground.

"Listen up." Greg growled. "You die and no more explosions."

Rick paused his struggling. "I don't believe you."

"Honestly. My employer has given his word."

Rick frowned. "Employer?"

"That's right. A man who wants to simplify the world. And cyber cops like you aren't a part of it."

"Who is this man?"

"They call him The Claw." Greg smiled. "Because one day he will have a grip on the entire world."

Rick's HUD noticed something. A small black square stuck against Greg's neck. Rick wondered what it might be, he turned and checked the bomb. 1:00 and dropping fast.

Rick deactivated the blades. "Alright Tanner." He said. "You win, but diffuse that bomb first." Greg laughed.

"No can do." He pulled out the tazer again and Rick lifted his arm quickly. It hit the square attached to Greg's neck and knocked it loose. The metal device dropped to the ground and Greg's eyes rolled to the back of his head. He looked shocked and confused for a moment before passing out.

Rick pushed him off and hurried to the bomb. There were twenty seconds left. He grasped the master cord and yanked.


	17. A Development in Mind Control

Rick yanked on the master cord attached to the digital timer and prayed that he had pulled the proper cord out.

The digital timer continued to tick down. 12 seconds, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Rick held his hands over his ears and cringed. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to survive a second explosion. Even with his enhanced body.

When nothing happened he opened his eyes and sighed in relief. He looked at the bomb. He'd successfully diffused it. He looked at Greg and the goon. His eyes zeroed in on the black square device that had been in Greg's neck. He extended his hand down and picked it up.

He studied it. The dialogue box filled with scrolling text.

MICROCHIP.

NEURAL OVERRIDE.

MANUFACTURED BY: UNKNOWN.

PROGRAM PARAMETERS: UNKNOWN.

PRIMARY FUNCTION: MANIPULATION OF WILL.

Rick hadn't seen it on Greg before coming to the convention center. He wondered if Greg had put it on himself or if perhaps another arsonist had managed to attach it to the cop. Rick really didn't think Greg was capable of doing something as immoral as killing a fellow officer of the law.

He went to check on Greg. The man was alive and fine. Rick decided to see what happened.

"Hey Tanner," Rick shook the man. "Hey, are you ok?"

Greg stirred. "Barnes?" He asked.

"What do you remember?" Rick asked. He hoped that Greg didn't remember Rick giving him a beating.

"I went into the smaller exhibition halls and was ambushed by a suspect. We fought, and I think he cleaned my clock." Greg sat up slowly and rubbed his neck. Rick relaxed. He'd been waiting for Greg to attack him.

"I diffused the bomb. I think the guy that jumped you stuck this in your neck. You were attacking me like crazy."

"I've never seen that in my life. And why would I attack you?" Greg asked. "I may not like you, but we're cops just the same."

"I'm going to see if Alex can analyze this for me. She'll have a better answer than my HUD." Rick said helping Greg up. Greg looked at him funny then shrugged.

* * *

As it would happen there were two other bombs in the city. The suspect they'd caught had told them everything. He'd been scared of prison so much that he'd offered to spill everything for a plea bargain.

Alex was so thrilled with the device Rick had brought her she'd dissected it and put it back together in a day.

"It's used to control a person. It overrides the will of whoever is wearing it. From what you've said the wearer is completely unaware he's under the control of someone else." Alex explained.

Rick was worried. Someone could control another man with a tiny device stuck into the skin. It wasn't right. You could make a perfectly innocent man into a murderer and they wouldn't even know it.

Whoever had been controlling Greg had given Rick a lot of info, most likely in the hopes that it would go with Rick to the grave.

A man with enough wealth and power to run on operation from the sidelines and use things like Neural Override Devices was a threat to the entire world. A few sleepless nights were spent searching online for any information. Of course it was a fruitless search.

Penny tried to help using her completed laptop. But even with her fancy programming it still didn't come up with anything.

In a week Rick turned up nothing. Even with Deputy Michaels using his clearance to access certain databases they couldn't find anything.

At about this time Agent Walter Riggs accompanied by his partner Arthur Davidson returned. The two showed up at the Lawrence Estate Friday afternoon.

Jessica answered the door. "Agent Riggs?" She glowered at the men. "What do you want?"

Davidson spoke up. "We're here on official business. The FBI wants to purchase your sister's work for use in the field." Jessica looked doubtful but stuck her head back into the mansion and yelled.

"Hey Alex, the FBI wants to make some contracts for your work!" There was no noise from inside and the two agents shared a look. "Dr. Lawrence will be here momentarily. If you'll follow me?" Jess opened the door to them.

Davidson looked at the mansion as he stepped in. Walter followed adjusting his tie. He made sure it was secure in his buttoned jacket. Melissa had given it to him, and of course on the bottom a dragon was stitched into the silk.

Alex came down the hall wearing her lab gear. She pulled off her gloves making sure to pull them inside out and then removed her safety glasses. "What can I do for you?" She asked. She'd heard back just that morning that the AMA was willing to start trials on her cybernetic organs. There was no way the FBI was going to ruin that high.

Davidson offered her his hand. "We want to formally go into business with you Lawrence. Our earlier scouting proved that you are still a fine scientist and that you have devices we could put to use."

Alex didn't take his hand. "You don't want to shake my hand. I've been working with a lot of chemicals this morning and while my skin is coated in a protective film your flesh would burn. Please let me wash up and we can talk business. My sister will get you something to drink and take you to the office." Alex turned away carrying her gear back to the lab.

Walter looked after Alex in wonder. She certainly didn't seem angry to see FBI agents at her door.

Jess led them to the office, made them comfortable, and provided some coffee and tea. Alex returned in a matter of minutes her hair straightened and a suit jacket replacing the lab coat she'd been wearing.

"Gentlemen, what sort of business are you looking for?" She asked taking her seat at the big mahogany desk.

"We want to purchase devices and their designs from you." Davidson answered. He looked at the coffee and tea disdainfully.

"What kind of devices." Alex pushed.

"We were hoping to purchase your radar designs and some of the long range tactical weapons you've come up with." Davidson was quick to answer. Walter remained quiet. He knew Davidson liked to do the talking.

"Alright. What's the amount and what exactly?" Alex had been given a brilliant idea from her husband. She didn't really need the money, but she'd be willing to lower the purchase amount if information on a certain mysterious character could be put into the deal.

Davidson looked surprised. He'd expected Alex to fight him. "We want the radar designs so we can build them ourselves, but we also want your HUD Glasses, EMP Wave Guns, and the technology to bullet proof our agents' uniforms."

Alex whistled. "Been busy keeping tabs on me?" She asked darkly. She still despised the FBI's underhanded ways. "You haven't asked me my price." Alex observed. She wanted him to ask for her price.

Davidson had been trying to keep from asking the price. By asking her to name her price she could easily hike up the cost or add in stipulations. Walter seemed to tense. Ready to hear the worst.

"My price?" Alex repeated smiling mischievously. "75,000 in cash."

Both agents lost control of their jaws for a brief moment. "That's it?" Walter asked.

"That and any information you have on a man called The Claw. And I give you the designs and trial devices without stipulations. You'll be able to use them all you want."

Both agents shared a look. Davidson frowned. "You know that's not how we work."

"It's either that or I raise the price to 5 mill." Alex returned. "And I do believe we're in a recession, aren't you having problems getting funding?" She could play their games easily.

Walter winced. 5 mill was three times what the FBI was willing to pay her. "Let me make a call." Davidson said and left the room. This left Walter with the two women.

"So Riggs, you have info on the guy?" Alex asked conversationally. Walter tensed.

"You know I can't answer that question."

"You just did. Did you know he was going to blow up this city? That he was planning an attack on thousands of innocent lives? Fifteen people were killed in the only explosion that happened. If not for Barnes the city would have suffered greatly."

Walter remained stoically quiet.

"Listen Riggs, did you know that this phantom terrorist can control people?" Jess added.

Walter's eyes darkened in confusion.

"You didn't." Jess returned. "They have devices that they press into the skin of a person's neck and override their own will. The victims don't even know what they did afterwards."

Alex pulled the Neural Override Device from a desk drawer. "See this. It was used to manually control a police officer and force him to attack his partner." Walter stared at the device and then sighed.

"No we didn't know about those." Walter replied. "Is there any way you could hand that evidence over?"

Alex grinned. "Nope. I'm currently working on a way to neutralize these things. If we don't get something to counter the effects of a Neural Override Device the whole country could be in imminent danger. These things could turn people into nothing more than zombies. Without their own will power they don't feel pain. They could lose limbs and keep on going."

Walter stared at her. His face paled and he looked at the door. "Excuse me." He left the room probably to talk to Davidson.

"That should help loosen their lips." Jess remarked. Alex frowned.

"Yes and no. Unless the FBI wishes to work together on this they won't let us anywhere near whatever is running this. I'm not so sure it's a single person. Sounds more like an organization operating under a singular pseudonym."

Jess grimaced at the idea. "So forget holocausts and brainwashing, we're dealing with something that'll turn the whole world into a horde of obedient zombies?"

"This is a major problem." Alex replied.

Davidson and Walter came back in. Davidson looked rather shook up. "In light of what's recently happened and the discount you're willing to offer, my superiors have deemed it both profitable and necessary to disclose the information about The Claw with you."

Alex nodded. "Let me make a phone call. There's one person who needs to hear this from you." Davidson nodded. "Jess, get Rick and Grant here immediately."

Jess left the room pulling out her cell phone.

"I'll go get the designs and a few of the completed devices. I think it's a safe bet to say we need to get this done quickly."

Davidson gave a half smile. "We actually don't have much time. The attack here in Reno was almost six months ahead of the schedule we managed to get during an interrogation. Our best bet is to team up and get your counter weapon completed. We'll pay for manufacturing once you've got something safe that can be handed out to the military, government, and local law authorities. Every country with nuclear capability needs to be provided for first."

Alex nodded. She knew it would come down to something like this. She left the room and a few minutes later returned with a couple steel briefcases. "Blueprints," She said handing him one, "and actual devices." She proffered the other.

She pulled a tray from a desk drawer. "This is how far I am on the Neural Override Refractor." She showed him a partially constructed device that looked almost like a cell phone. " I thought an inconspicuous design like that of a phone would be wise. The screen will be a display only. No touch screens. When an NOD is within range of this device an electric pulse will go off. This is not an EMP it will simply scatter the control frequency used to activate NODs.

"Each NOR will be synchronous with it's wearer. This will allow the device to secretly scan the owner for evidence of NODs after the scrambler has been emitted. If there is an NOD attached to the person the NOR will release an EMP V5. An EMP V5 is specifically tuned in to the NODs it won't effect any other electronic devices within a fifty foot radius." Alex sounded like she had a plan but there was doubt in her voice.

"When can you begin testing?" Davidson asked. He liked the design, he liked the idea, but he just didn't know if it would work.

"I should have the last part necessary when Grant returns, and then we can finish it in a matter of hours. You're welcome to stay for the test run."

"Are you using that NOD?" Walter asked pointing to the one she'd shown him earlier.

"Yes. I've already taken it apart, put it back together and rerouted it's connection to my laptop. Jess has offered to test run it for us. I'll attach the NOD to her neck just behind the ear, I'll then activat the NOD while the NOR is turned off. Then we'll turn the NOR on and using a scanner I'll make sure it works properly. I'm trying to make these as sturdy as I can, but some of the connections are very fragile. The NOR has a protective covering, but dropping them too much or from higher elevation could render them ineffective."

"We'll stay. Everyone back at HQ will want to know if the NOD can be stopped. We had no clue about it." Davidson replied.


	18. Your Wish is My Command

Rick and Grant arrived at the mansion and hurried inside. The two had been picking up electronic components for Alex's NOR. Jess's call had surprised them, and she'd told them everything as they raced out of the store. This was huge. The FBI was willing to work with them to stop this threat. That meant it was beyond even them. The two men followed by a confused and curious Penny entered the office like a whirlwind. Alex caught Penny and told her to go play upstairs. "Yes, Aunt Alex." She replied. She knew what was going on for the most part, and that she didn't need to be listening to everything.

Rick stood in the corner. He wanted to listen and watch. From his vantage point he could watch the eyes of most everyone. Of course Alex, Jess, and Grant weren't the ones he was focused on.

Davidson began once everyone had settled down. "The Claw is a mysterious phantom leader of a terrorist organization that has no discernable name. We're not even sure he's a singular leader. What we do know is that these terrorists are spread across the US and other countries as well. We found the fresh DNA of Charles Abernathy at one of the crime scenes belonging to this organization."

"Abernathy? Isn't he a dead international terrorist?"

"Obviously not. He's alive and we believe he is behind some of the design of the NOD. He once came to McDowell for help once right?" Davidson remained stone faced as he spoke unlike Alex who looked rather surprised.

"He did. He stole some designs from McDowell. We were told the blueprints were destroyed in a fire." Alex frowned.

"So you do know who he is?" Davidson asked.

"Yes."

"Enough about Abernathy." Davidson continued, "We know that they are moving six months ahead of the schedule we pumped out of a captured member. In light of this extreme case we are willing to continue a partnership with Dr. Lawrence, Dr. Grant, and Detective Barnes."

This wasn't as surprising as it could have been. Alex was prepared for such an alliance. "To ensure that you have access to files pertaining to this organization and so that we can keep up on any technological advancements you create, Agent Riggs is asking if he may stay as a guest in your house. He will follow all rules when it comes to your lab and property. Also we would like him to work in partnership with Barnes on any cases involving the explosion or the terrorists themselves."

Rick and Walter looked at each other. Davidson hadn't told his partner that. Rick didn't like the setup. Both seemed to find a common ground in not wanting to work with each other.

"That sounds good." Alex replied. "It's a reasonable way to work."

Walter decided he'd better say something before Davidson stepped on his toes. "Thank you Dr. Lawrence, I will be a respectful house guest." He caught the approving nod from his partner and relaxed.

"It is my pleasure to host you." Alex replied. "Now if you'll excuse me I have an NOR to complete and a test to conduct for everyone to see."

They left Alex in her office. Jess noticed the dour look on her fiancé's face. "Something wrong?"

"I just don't like the idea of working with Riggs. I know he's got some kind of grudge against me."

"I know, but we're all making compromises here. This is for the good of our city, our nation, and quite possibly the world. Besides, you're immune to the NODs." She whispered.

"Immune?" Rick asked.

"Because a part of your brain is computerized and can rely on digital pathways to connect to the body the NOD can't take hold of your will power. It's designed to control the normal human brain. You're brain is better than that." Jess reminded him.

"That's reassuring." Rick replied.

A couple hours later Jessica sat in a chair stock still as the first test run of the NOR was about to begin. Alex had retrofitted a microchip gun to properly attach the NOD to her sister's neck.

Everyone watched silently from afar except for Rick who was right next to her. She was holding his hand tightly.

"Jessica relax." Alex scolded quietly.

"Sorry, I'm just a little nervous here."

"You'll be fine. I have the kill switch ready if the NOR fails." She reassured in a confident tone.

Jessica nodded for the test to continue. She looked at Rick and tried to smile. Alex looked at Grant. "Camera ready?" He nodded. "Start recording."

She brought the gun up to Jess's neck behind her ear and pressed the trigger. Jess gasped and cringed as the NOD's small metal teeth went into her skin. For a moment she was in pain, then confused, and then her face went blank.

Alex turned to the laptop facing the agents and the video camera. She typed in a command.

C: Walk to the window.

C: Place hand on window.

Jessica stood and walked to the window and placed her hand on it. Everyone watched in awed silence.

C: Walk to Rick.

Jessica walked over to Rick.

C: Act natural.

Jessica's face went from aloof to a bright countenance. Rick watched quietly. He had already seen the NOD at work. It wasn't surprising, but the fact that it was so easy to control a person scared him.

C: Throw a punch at Rick.

Jessica pulled her right arm back and made to hit Rick in the face. He grabbed her fist with his hand gently and held it. Jessica struggled briefly before Alex typed in a new command.

C: Stop fighting.

At this point Alex pulled out her NOR in front of the camera.. She turned it on and waited.

C: Look at Grant.

Jessica's eyes clouded and she seemed to try to obey the command, but she also fought the urge to turn her head.

"The scrambler signal is working." Alex said. She watched the NOR and waited. After about thirty seconds a light on the phone-like invention flashed red. A moment later the NOD fell from Jessica's neck. She shook her head as her will power returned fully.

"That hurts." She said rubbing behind her left ear. Alex laughed.

"How do you feel?" Grant asked.

"I feel fine, except for a headache." Jessica replied.

"I still want to run a quick scan." Alex said. Jessica nodded and the two sisters left the room.


	19. A Flight to Remember

Rick took the turn a little too sharp and Walter took a sharp breath. The cyborg almost smiled. Rick knew the FBI agent wasn't exactly fond of him. He kept up the pursuit without a second thought. They whizzed by cars on the street as he stayed on the tail of the blue muscle car in front of him. The driver had killed a security guard in a bank heist.

Rick wasn't about to let him go, and Walter was along for the ride only because the FBI had saddled the two together. Not that either of them enjoyed the partnership.

The car ahead slowed up and Rick saw the perfect opening to use. He rolled the window down and stuck his left arm out. His eyes darted to Walter briefly. When Walter caught on his eyes darkened.

Rick didn't care, he activated the shot gun barrel and once it had fully extended he fired two shots, one for each rear tire.

The tires exploded and the car bounced. The wheels touched down creating sparks against the asphalt. The car slowed considerably and stopped. Rick slowed down too. The suspect was going to run.

The gun barrel retracted and Rick hurried out before his car fully stopped. Walter dove for the steering wheel and unbuckled trying to get to the pedals. He pulled his left leg over the center console and hit the brake.

Rick was already in pursuit of the perp who had taken to running. The man had no hope though. Rick had him caught up and cuffed within fifteen yards.

Walter came out of the car with a perturbed look on his face. He held his cell phone in one hand.

"That was Davidson." Walter said.

"What?" Rick asked. He didn't finish the sentence. A radio broadcast announcing back up arriving had reached his ears and distracted him.

"We need to get moving. Guess where to." Walter replied stopping next to him.

"Where?" Rick asked lowering his voice. He hadn't any idea where.

"Wichita Kansas." Walter replied.

Rick looked at him and froze. "W-Wichita?" He echoed quietly.

Walter smirked. It was the detective's turn to feel a little uneasy. "Yep. Tonight we leave."

Rick was quiet till the other officers arrived.

That night at the mansion Rick was still reserved. Jessica pulled him aside in the hall. "What's eating you?"

"Just thinking."

"That's not just thinking. You're worried or troubled." Jessica remarked. She knew her fiancé well enough.

"It's nothing, really." Rick tried and failed at sounding confident. One raised eyebrow from Jess made him sigh. "Davidson is sending Riggs and I on a lead to Wichita Kansas." Rick answered grudgingly.

"Your home town?" Jess continued. He nodded. "Why does it bother you so much?"

"I haven't been in Wichita since before your sister saved me." Rick replied tightly.

"And?" Jess prodded. She was starting to get the picture. "You're afraid of people recognizing you?"

"My uncle was informed that I survived and moved out of state, but I haven't contacted him since."

"Well, call him up and let him know you'll be in town. Talk to him, let him know that you're doing fine out here. And that you miss him." Jess suggested.

"Will I even have time to see him?" Rick asked.

"Come on, you can stop off for an hour or two I'm sure."

"And Walter?"

"You can ditch him easier than you think." She smirked. "He definitely isn't ready to be best buds with you. Tell him you're gonna step out for a little air."

Rick nodded. "I guess it wouldn't hurt nothin'."

"That's more like it, now relax. Whatever this lead is, you can handle it." She hugged him. "Just don't get yourself in too much trouble. If Alex has to come and bail you out I'm coming along. And I'll raise some hell."

Rick chuckled. Jessica placed a finger on his lips before he could reply and moved in for a kiss. Their lips met lightly before he caught on and pressed further. Their lips seemed to fuse together connecting them in a passionate seal.

A throat clearing brought them back to reality and they pulled away from each other in a hurry. Grant was standing a few feet away a knowing smile on his lips.

"Walter's waiting for you Rick." The scientist said.

"Alright. Where's Penny? I need to say goodbye." As if on cue the girl came out of the room across the hall.

"Do you have to go?" She asked. She was clutching her homemade laptop against her chest and looked up at him. Her sad green eyes tugged at him pitifully.

"You know I have to. I won't be gone long I promise." Rick replied kneeling down to her level.

"Promise you'll be safe?" She asked.

"Of course I will. With my coat on nothing can hurt me." He reminded her.

"I'll miss you Daddy." She said.

"And I'll miss you, but Jess and Aunt Alex and Uncle Grant will be here with you." He whispered. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She slipped something into his hand.

"What's this?" He looked at it. There was a small device, it looked like a PDA.

"It's linked to my laptop. You can use it to talk to me at any time. You type in anything and it's sent to me. If you need a question answered we can find the answer and send it back. And we can talk at any time, plus I'll always know where you are." Penny explained proudly.

"I'll use it whenever I need to." Rick promised. "I'll talk to you soon, you be good."

"Bye Daddy." She released his neck.

"Bye Penny." He kissed her forehead and then turned to Jessica, "Bye, make sure she's ok."

Jess nodded. "You be careful." She warned. It was his turn to nod. She squeezed his hand as he walked down the hall.

Penny walked over to Jess and gripped her arm tightly. The two blonds watched him join the FBI agent and then the men walked out the front door.

* * *

That night Penny refused to leave Jessica's side. The girl was lonely, she'd never spent a night without Rick. It was painfully obvious how much they were father and daughter. She sat for a while, she knew that until their plane landed the communication pad wouldn't work. She was calm and relaxed, it would do her no good to get upset. It wouldn't make him suddenly appear, so she waited for him to let her know that he was back on the ground.

Her father on the other hand was nervous. Airplanes were sort of annoying. With TSA requiring that he disarm himself he felt helpless. The targeting array had vanished from his vision and he wasn't receiving the tactical information on items in the dialogue box. Walter had watched Grant shut down the cyborg's weapons systems. The young man didn't understand any of it, but he knew how it felt. His gun was locked in a cabinet at the back of the plane. Both were without weapons and for them that was like being half dressed.

Rick also was without hat and coat, which meant he was unable to protect himself from any attacks. He sat rigid in his seat trying to read his western. The words weren't keeping his focus though and he looked at his traveling companion.

"So, have you ever been to Wichita?" Rick asked trying to distract himself. The question was whispered quietly, but Walter still reacted in surprise. He'd been reading a news paper.

"No." He replied tersely as he returned his eyes to the printed text.

Rick looked around casually. Everyone on the plane looked unsuspicious. There were families and couples of varying ages and stages. Business men headed home from and to conferences in crisp suits sat in eagerness.

Rick flipped a page in his book and tried starting on a new paragraph. He didn't like what he read and went back to the previous page. He read a few pages before the uneasiness in his gut worsened. The plane was soaring along smoothly. But something struck him as odd.

"Hey Walt," He whispered. The agent gave him a severe look at the name abbreviation.

"What?" He whispered back coldly.

"You get the feelin' somethin' is wrong?" Rick whispered not noticing the agent's attitude.

Walter gave him a cockeyed look and then froze. He realized what Rick meant. He felt it too like a breath on the back of his neck. "What do you think it is?" Walter asked. Now that he was aware of something strange he was willing to play nice.

"I'm not sure, I don't see nothin' suspicious, but then again I ain't got my scanner on so I wouldn't know." Rick kept his voice low.

"I'm gonna make a bathroom walk. I'll look around the back half. After I leave you head towards the front of the plane and do the same." Walter decided. He unbuckled himself, stood up, and squeezed by the other man. Rick never liked window seats. He didn't need to see the earth so far below.

Rick watched him for a few seconds and counted out a minute. At sixty seconds he stood up and walked towards the front. His eyes darted around the cabin searching for a strange bulge, an awkward posture, or maybe a pair of shifty eyes.

As he strolled slowly to the lavatory he caught the 'occupied' light above the closed door. He smiled. Standing by the lavatory and waiting for whoever was inside to leave would give him a chance to browse the faces from the front. He leaned against a corner and scanned everyone.

He caught a light shine from a far passenger who was pulling something from the jacket he was wearing.

Rick's heart beat quickened and he cursed the fact that he was on a plane. He stepped towards the man slowly, calmly, with his hands at his sides. Walter was at the tail end of the plane and Rick met his gaze. The signal was received and Walter quick stepped towards his partner.

The man in question was now standing with a knife blade in his hand. The passenger beside him froze in fear. Rick paused. Walter ducked down out of sight and crawled closer.

Rick looked the man square in the face. "Don't try to stop me." The man warned. Rick raised his hands high and the man smiled. "I'm going to take this plane." He announced. Rick feigned fear.

"Please just don't hurt anyone." Rick begged. He avoided watching Walter sneak up. The man was in the aisle now and people nearby were ducking down. Walter was almost under him now. Rick glanced at a flight attendant and then looked at the would be hijacker.

"You, come here. You're going to tell the crew what to do." The man said looking at Rick.

The detective looked at the terrorist and pointed at himself. "Me? Please don't make me do anything." Rick said. At that moment Walter shot to his feet.

The armed man was caught completely off guard and Rick charged forward. The knife slashed violently through the air once and Rick caught the blade in his hand. He wrenched the blade from the attacker's hand.

Between the two men he was nothing. They had him on the floor with his hands tied behind his back in a matter of minutes. The flight attendants and passengers stared at the two.

"Everyone, please just relax. We're trained detectives. This suspect is no longer a threat, but please stay seated and calm until we touch down." Walter announced. The Pilot came over the speakers.

"We will be making an emergency stop in Denver Colorado to bring the apprehended suspect to the airport authorities there. We apologize for the inconvenience. I would also like to thank the two detectives on board for handling the situation without causing any harm."

Rick shrugged. He'd just known something was up and reacted appropriately.

Walter looked at him with a new light in his eyes. "That was impressive." He said.

"You were the one who snuck up out of nowhere." Rick replied.

"Yea, but you were the star of the show." Walter replied. "You kept him distracted." Walter offered his hand. "I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you."

Rick took his hand, "Hey, it's all good. Let's just be pals." Rick suggested. Walter nodded.


	20. Shutting the Factory Down

Penny read the dialogue coming to her lap top and shivered. She ran and got Jessica who was the only other person awake. It was 4 am. When they hadn't heard from Rick by midnight when his plane was supposed to have landed in Kansas they had went to bed for a while. Jess read the paragraph and gasped.

"What happened?" She asked aloud. She typed into the send box furiously.

Penny watched intently. Her eyes were full of wonder and shock. The response came back quickly. Everything was fine he assured. Jess relaxed a little but she was still in shock.

"You're father gets into the worst trouble." She murmured.

"He says it's his destiny." Penny answered her.

"Destiny? Did he tell you that?" Jess asked looking at her.

"Yeah, he was telling me about all the disasters that happened before he met Aunt Alex." She explained.

"Just how much trouble as he gotten into?" Jess asked frowning.

"Oh lots." Penny admitted. "He calls himself a danger magnet." She giggled at this.

Jess sighed and looked at the words he'd written one more time. She typed something back. A single line in caps.

DON'T GET YOURSELF KILLED.

His response was simple:

YES MA'AM.

Jess checked the tracking signal, he was in Kansas.

YOU CONTACT US WITH ANYTHING UNUSUAL. She typed to him.

The response was the same as the first.

* * *

Rick put the device away and ran a hand through his hair. It had been a long night. He and Walter had spent two hours in Colorado talking with the authorities. They were upset that a knife had been snuck onto a plane and impressed with the FBI agent and the detective.

Walter was just glad that they had caught on before it even happened. Many people didn't believe in intuition or a sixth sense, but Walter was pretty sure they existed. Not everyone had them, but those who did were talented at reading things before they even happened.

"They all freaking out?" Walter asked. He came out of the coffee shop with two paper cups.

"Just Jessica. She said not to get killed." Rick replied. Walter offered him one of the cups and almost laughed.

They walked down the street sipping coffee and talking about the city.

"There's the hotel I was talking about." Rick pointed to a two story building the size of the Lawrence estate painted in a bright yellow and trimmed with green. "It may look corny from outside, but it's quiet, private, and we won't leave a paper trail."

"That's good." Walter replied. "But how?"

"They don't check credentials. We give them any name we want and they'll believe us. The owner doesn't use any modern tools for the job."

"In this sense it's advantageous." Walter replied. The two were trying to get along. So far it was working. It turned out that they weren't that different when it came to personality.

They checked in and hit their rooms. The rest of the trip had been sleepless for them both, and it was dawn. Rick dumped his things on a chair and crashed on the bed. He just wanted to sleep. Forget reactivating his weapons system right away. He'd do it first thing when he woke up.

* * *

That evening they met with another agent who gave them the lowdown. "Abernathy's here. We were told that you guys have a way to protect against the Neural Override Device."

"Yes. We have a talented scientist working with us." Walter replied.

"Well here's the location. We see men go in and come out and they always have an NOD in their necks. You'll be on your own in there for the most part. Try to get in and see what you can."

The two nodded. They took the paper and left. They didn't even know the name of the contact.

* * *

An hour later they were outside of a large warehouse building. Rick was in the lead, his radar was on and so far so good. He kept everything going, despite how quickly it could drain his energy. They needed to stay several moves ahead.

Walter pointed at a door and Rick nodded. That was the one. They hadn't spoken since they'd begun infiltration. There were signals and looks that worked just as well as spoken words.

The place was dark and frightening, but it was also filled with technology and machines. Weapons of destruction from the look of it.

It was obvious the Claw was an operation for taking over the world. The main cavity of the huge old building was a factory assembly line. Men and women with NODs in their necks worked at machines producing more NODs.

Rick grimaced at the sight. People had been pulled away from their lives and their families and forced to create those vile machines.

It made his blood run cold. He pulled out the link pad and typed a message to the girls back home. They should know what they were up against.

Walter pulled out an NOR. "Think we can free them all?" The agent asked.

"Not till we disable the security system." Rick replied.

Walter glanced at the machinery. There was obviously no way of rescuing the enslaved workers without harming them until they cut the room off from surveillance or electricity.

"Then we'd better move quickly. Any idea where the generators are?" Walter glanced at his partner.

"Give me a sec." Rick whispered back his eyes losing focus. He turned his head in a sweep of the room and then blinked. The far away look vanished. "It's down that hall." Rick pointed to an open door across the room.

Walter nodded. "I'll shut off the power, you start freeing them." He tossed Rick the NOR and then crawled for the opening.

Rick watched and listened. Any sign of trouble and he'd make a move to save Walter first.

Rick watched the people as they worked levers and put parts together. It was a startling image.

* * *

Walter snuck down the hall and hurried to the generators. He followed the sound of them and came upon a room with four large grey generators. They were working away and a man sat in a chair his back to the spy.

Walter pulled out a gun and a tazer. He silently came up behind the guard and tazered him in the neck. The man gasped for a brief moment and then passed out.

Walter turned back to the generators and began to work on shutting them down. He started the shut down on each one before shutting them off. He wanted to do this smoothly, suddenly. He didn't have a second chance or time to fight off enslaved victims if there was a chance to react.

One by one the machines went dead. Walter hurried back out. Rick had already started the NOR and people were slowly coming out of the trance. Walter pulled out a phone and punched 911. He gave the dispatcher a code. Then he gave her the address and orders. He was brief and then got off and started yelling.

"Folks, I'm with the FBI if you'll please stay calm everything will be explained n due time. For now sit down and remain quiet."

As people realized he was talking to them they did as he asked. Rick was busy taking a fist to the production machines and smashing them. He bent conveyors and tore the wires out of connections with ease.

An emergency light came on and a group of men burst into the room. Walter fired his gun directing their attention to him. He was in a corner away from the innocent. Rick looked up and stopped his demolition to pull out his gun ready for a fight.

The men dressed in grey suits pulled out automatic rifles. Walter dove behind a machine and Rick covered his face with an arm. The bullets didn't pierce his protective coat, but he felt their pressure. Walter took a few well aimed shots. A few men went down forever.

People fell on their faces screaming. They were scared out of their wits. First they woke up in a strange place, and now a firefight waged just feet away.

Rick rushed the men blindly and drew their fire. He barreled right into them. Walter and his hand gun flashed like a whirlwind. The two men were like a stick of dynamite.

Walter may not have had a modified body, but he moved fast and fluidly. His gun was an extension of his hand slamming into jaws and heads without warning. Rick struck fast and hard like a snake. He also didn't waste time dodging punches.

While the two fought sirens approached.

More terrorists had come, but the sound of approaching cops sent most of them running. One tried to threaten the victims, but Walter didn't care for a hostage situation. One bullet and the enemy was a body on the floor.

Rick took off down a hall looking for more people he could capture. Someone had to be pulling the strings and he wanted to find him. But the other rooms were already empty.

As officers gathered criminals and victims FBI agents stormed through gathering evidence and snapping photos.

Walter and Rick gave the agents every detail of the incident. It took hours to clean everything up, and the victims who had no clue what had happened were taken for medical attention. Most of their names turned up on lists of recent missing persons.

By the next morning there was an estimated one million NODs in FBI possession.

The machines were disassembled and carted off.

Rick and Walter were thanked for their quick thinking. Not only had they saved three dozen citizens, but had infiltrated a terrorist installation and retrieved new data and schematics. The information and evidence alone was a goldmine.


	21. Unexpected Guests

Penny charged and lunged at her father. He caught her easily and she hugged him. "I missed you." She announced.

"Not as much as I missed you." He replied with a smile. Walter was a few steps behind. Penny looked at him.

"Hello Walter." She greeted.

"Hi," Walter replied awkwardly.

"Were you successful on your mission?" She asked. Walter almost gawked at her seemingly adult language. But he reminded himself just who and what Penny was and he nodded to her.

"We found what we were looking for."

She smiled and looked back to Rick. "Is the NOD factory gone?"

"Yes, the FBI took it apart." Rick replied.

"That's good." The girl murmured.

Jessica was waiting by the luggage claim. "Glad to see you two aren't injured." She greeted.

"We came out alright." Rick replied.

"It wasn't as dangerous as the next time will be." Walter admitted.

Jess frowned at this. "Where do you think you'll be sent next?" She asked. Walter shrugged.

"I can't say. We took out a major facility. If anything we've slowed them down at least a few weeks."

"That's reassuring." She replied. "But how long will this last?"

"There's no tellin'. But we've got to be ready for retaliation. Things could get mighty dicey." Rick remarked. Walter wanted to tell them to watch what they talked about in front of the child, but she caught his look and gave him a brave smile.

"If they think you'll go down easy they don't know you." She joined in. "The whole organization couldn't possibly match the FBI in size or power."

Everyone agreed as they grabbed a couple of suitcases and headed for the parking garage.

* * *

At home Rick and Penny sat on the couch quietly. Jess had dropped them off and taken Walter back to the mansion. Penny had her father's hat in her hands. She'd been enthralled by the tool and was constantly playing with it. He didn't mind so long as she didn't activate the helicopter feature by accident. Not that she could just looking at it, but he warned her not to try and open anything up.

Rick put his feet up on the coffee table and sighed. He was tired. "How were you while I was gone?" He asked.

Penny looked up from the brim of the fedora and smiled, "I behaved. I did nothing I know Jess dislikes. In fact I even helped her clean up the dishes."

"You two get on well." Rick remarked. "So you'll be fine when she moves in?" He asked. Penny set the hat down. She realized that a casual question had turned into one of those father-daughter talks.

"Yes. I like Jessica a lot, I've known her since I was little. She's practically a mother to me." She answered.

"I'm glad to hear that." Rick replied with a yawn.

"Tired?" Penny asked with a giggle.

"Yes." Rick answered. "I didn't get much sleep." He blinked heavily.

"Why don't you rest Dad." Penny suggested standing up. "I'll keep quiet and watch some TV. There's a special on the Discovery Channel about computers I want to watch."

Rick shrugged. "Will do. I'll just make myself comfortable right here." He leaned back and put his hands behind his head.

Penny turned on the television and pushed the volume low. Rick chuckled. "Won't make no difference how quiet it is." He murmured. "You can turn it up some. I'm used to ignorin' sounds with these ears of mine." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Penny turned it up a little bit. She looked at the man she called her father for a brief moment. She knew he wasn't like other men or fathers for that matter. His blood didn't run through her veins, she didn't carry his Midwestern accent, and she certainly had none of his rugged thoughtful charm. She shared one common factor though.

She wasn't normal either. Her mind didn't work like other eight year olds'. She knew her speech was more like an adult's and that she was more inclined to intelligent thought before emotion. She was born in a laboratory.

He had been saved in a laboratory and rebuilt into a cyborg. He sometimes claimed that he had been reborn in that lab in Chicago. It wasn't much to go on, but their 'birth' in the lab was a bond like none other.

The commercials changed to the special and Penny left her musings for later.

* * *

Rick snoozed for a few hours while Penny watched a rather detailed history of the computer. When he woke up the documentary was almost over. The narrator's voice came out of the background noise and he listened for a moment. He opened his eyes to see Penny on the couch next to him.

"Enjoying your show?" He asked.

Penny jumped slightly and turned. She gave a sheepish smile, "Yes."

Rick stood up and stretched. He walked to the kitchen. "Hungry?" He asked.

"I am." She answered. Rick went to the fridge and opened it. He found a Tupperware bin with a piece of tape labeled 'lasagna' on the top shelf. Jessica had left it in there for him.

He pulled it out and glanced at the time in the corner of his left eye. It was just about time for dinner. "Lasagna for dinner?" He called.

"Yes please." Penny replied from the living room. Rick opened the case and pulled a knife from a drawer. He cut up a couple portions and placed them on white glass plates. He put the smaller piece in the microwave and turned it on.

The doorbell rang and Rick frowned. He went to the door and looked through the peep hole. Greg Tanner stood on the porch in jeans and a grey polo tucked in.

Rick wondered why the cop was there. He realized he hadn't showered or shaved since he'd left for Wichita. And his hair was disheveled and greasy. He ran a hand through his messy dark hair and then buttoned up the cuffs on his sleeves.

He opened the door.

"Hello," Rick greeted slightly confused.

"Hey," Greg replied.

"What are you doin' all the way out here Tanner?"

"Please, call me Greg." He replied. "I'm here to thank you for helping me out with that-uh-NOD thing."

"Tweren't nothin'." Rick replied smiling. "You were trying to kill me, but I knew it was out of character for you."

"Still, you could have cuffed me even after you knocked that thing loose from my neck. I owe you Barnes."

"Rick."

"Rick," Greg corrected himself.

"Well, why don't you come in?" Rick offered.

"Oh I couldn't."

"Please, we're just about to have dinner." Rick stepped aside.

"Are you sure?" Greg asked.

"We'd be glad for the company." Rick's reply was sincere.

Greg nodded and stepped into the house. Penny stood up and looked at the guest. "Hi."

"Hello."

"I'm Penny,"

"Greg Tanner."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Penny stepped over and offered a hand. Greg shook it surprised by her outgoing spirit.

"Penny, please go set the table for three."

"Yes, sir." Penny turned off the television and vanished to the kitchen.

"So how's work?" Rick asked trying to make small talk.

"Good, I just got back to work. Looks like you've been busy." Greg returned.

"Yeah." Rick agreed almost laughing. "Can I get you somethin' to drink? Soda, beer, water."

"Just water. I've got to drive home." Greg replied. Rick headed into the kitchen. Penny was pulling a second plate out of the microwave. Rick grabbed some glasses out of the cabinet and then to freezer for ice. He then filled them from the tap and carried them back to the living room.

Greg was at the table against the back wall looking at the pictures on it. Rick hadn't been one for putting up pictures, but Jessica and Alex had made sure he had framed photos. Some were old pics of him in his younger days, his parents, Penny, and one of Rick and Jessica together.

Greg heard him approach. "You got some nice photos."

"I have my fiancé to thank for those." Rick offered the other man a glass.

"Thanks." Greg took it and sipped. The two men stood in silence for a few minutes.

"Dinner." Penny announced. Microwave leftovers weren't exactly rocket science and she probably could have handled rocket science.

The two men walked through the kitchen to the dining room. A square table stood ready for dinner. The plates with hot lasagna and some bread and butter were waiting.

Rick took his seat and Penny hers. Greg sat down at the empty chair. No one started eating. "You don't mind me sayin' grace before we eat?" Rick asked. Greg shrugged.

"Bless this food Father. Amen."

"Amen."

"Amen, I didn't know you were a religious man Rick."

"It's more of a habit from home." He replied.

Greg nodded taking a bite. "This isn't bad."

"Not my cookin' either. My fiancé left it in the fridge for us." Rick answered.

"Jessica likes to cook us meals and drop them off." Penny added.

"Lucky. Your girl's a good cook." Greg remarked.

"She does spoil the two of us." Rick admitted.

Dinner passed quietly for the most part. Near the end the phone rang. Rick set his fork down, but instead of standing up he simply raised his arm towards the closest phone. It was on a cradle on the counter by the coffee pot. A mere two yards away. His hand extended quickly, he grabbed the phone, and brought it to his ear.

"Hello." He answered. He didn't notice Greg's horrified expression. Penny saw it though. Not that Greg was still in the dark on the subject, he'd seen the photos and the little demonstration. He was slightly in denial. Out of politeness and discomfort he'd pushed away any thoughts the entire meal.

"Yeah, I'm actually busy right now. No. Just a friend. Thank you."

Rick was about to put the phone back the way he'd retrieved it when he felt a pair of incredulous eyes on him. He turned to Greg who quickly averted his glance. Rick almost face palmed.

"You must excuse me, that was rude of me to answer the phone at the table." Rick broke the uneasy silence.

"No big deal." Greg replied a little flustered. He was at a loss for words. Though a few questions were bubbling up in his mind.

Penny rose and gathered the dishes. She scraped them off and then put them in the dishwasher. Greg was still quiet.

"I hope I haven't made you uncomfortable." Rick tried to elicit a response.

"No," Greg replied automatically.

"You can ask away." Rick said. "I know you have questions." Rick was getting used to everybody having questions. He'd only answered about a hundred from newspapers, the AMA, and other officers.

Greg looked at him and seemed to relax a bit. While Rick had been a man of privacy at the precinct, he was rather relaxed in his own home.

"Why don't we go in the other room." Rick suggested. Greg agreed.

Once seated on the chairs facing either side of the coffee table Greg worked his mouth into forming a sentence. "So how exactly did you end up as…" He trailed off.

"A cyborg?" Rick provided easily. Greg nodded. "Simple. I was dying and Alex needed someone to test her invention out on. She came to me in the hospital and offered me a second chance. I took it."

"Just like that?" Greg asked.

"It was either this or end up as a name on a slab of concrete." Rick replied.

"Don't you ever feel weird?" Greg asked. That's what he'd been dying to know.

"I used to." Rick answered quietly. "It isn't everyday a scientist takes a poor hopeless man and turns him into the Six Million Dollar Man. But it's been almost nine years now. I've gotten used to it." Rick was almost in shock. This man had once been a rival. Now they were in his living room talking like buddies. _Everyday my life feels more and more like a movie script._

"You probably get tired of answering that." Greg remarked.

"Sometimes." Rick admitted. "Ain't no law against curiosity."

"So that fight, it was real footage." It was a statement. Rick nodded. Greg checked his watch.

"I really should get going. Thank you for dinner."

"You're welcome." Rick replied.

"Hey, I'm serious about owing you one. If you need some help just give me a call." Greg offered.

Rick nodded, "Thank you," he held up his hand. Greg shook it and from the gleam in his eyes he hadn't expected it to feel so normal.

"See you." Greg said as he headed out the door.

"Bye." Rick closed it behind him.


	22. Midnight Racer

**I can't believe how far this is... One of my longest fanfics ever! Please enjoy and let me know what you think!**

Rick was in bed when the phone rang. He opened his eyes and reached for the phone. He grabbed it and answered huskily, "Hullo?" He glanced at a clock that read 1:00 am.

'Rick, Riggs is on his way. Our enemy is somewhere in Colorado. He and Grant should arrive in about fifteen minutes. Grant'll take Penny back here and you'll take Riggs in your car to the airport. Davidson has two tickets for a flight to Denver that leaves in forty minutes.'

Rick made a face, "I guess you're assumin' we can get there in time?"

'We'll have to take our chances. Abernathy is up at some private summer home. It's likely we have a small amount of time before he's onto us. Davidson just called here.'

"Right." Rick replied. He hung up the phone and darted for the dresser. He yanked on a drawer pulling the entire thing out and dropping it to the floor. Rick snatched a pair of jeans and guickly changed into them. He grabbed a shirt and walked to the doorway flicking on the light.

"Penny, wake up." He called. He put on the shirt as he walked into her room. He flicked the switch and light bathed her room.

She stirred. "Penny I need you to get up." He buttoned up the shirt as he walked to the bed and shook her.

"What?" Penny asked groggily just barely opening her eyes.

"I've got to go on a mission, Uncle Grant will take you to the mansion. But he'll be here soon." Rick grabbed a back pack and then went to her dresser he started grabbing clothes and stuffing them in.

Penny climbed out of the bed shivering in her nightgown. In her arms was a stuffed dog. It was a yellow lab the girl had named Brain. It was a gift from Jessica when she was younger, from Build-a-Bear-Workshop. Jessica had wanted to get Penny a real dog, and Rick had told her no. He didn't have enough time to be a father, a cop, and train a puppy.

Jessica had told Rick that her first order as Mrs. Barnes would be to get the girl a pet dog.

Penny joined Rick at the dresser and he handed her a pair of jeans and a blue shirt. He hurried back out of the room.

Rick went back to his room and grabbed the trench coat and fedora off of their hooks. He hung the coat over his left arm. He went to the master bathroom and checked his appearance in the mirror. He grabbed a comb and ran it through his black hair a couple times.

He splashed some water on his face to wake himself up. "Penny, is there a chance you could start the coffee pot?" He called.

Penny reacted right away. "Sure thing!" Her footsteps raced through the house to the kitchen. A moment later they came back to her room.

He put on his black leather shoes and then the trench coat. He turned off the lights and headed for the hall. He met Penny coming out of her room. Her tennis shoes weren't tied but she was dressed, with a sweatshirt on and her hair half brushed. She was still working through her hair her backpack over her shoulders.

"Are you scared?" She asked.

"Not really," Rick replied. "This is a big chance to capture someone very important." He added.

"Dad, do I have to go with Uncle Grant?" She was in a curious mood.

"Yes. Jessica isn't even awake yet, and you can't come with me."

"I know." She replied sullenly.

"You know what, I'll keep this with me." Rick pulled out the little link pad from a pocket. Penny brightened up.

The girl grabbed her laptop as Rick grabbed a coffee mug with a lid and poured the dark liquid. He put a spoon of sugar in it and then presed the lid down.

Rick picked up a car engine approaching. "They're here." Penny came up behind and hugged him. Rick wrapped an arm around her comfortingly.

The two turned off lights as they rushed for the front door. They hurried out just as Grant's SUV came to a stop and Walter rushed out. Grant came out and went to Penny. She handed him her backpack.

"You be good." Rick reminded as he unlocked the doors to his Mustang.

"Yes Sir." She replied waving goodbye.

Walter climbed into the sports car and Rick followed. Grant and Penny climbed into the SUV. Grant rolled the window down. "I'm supposed to let you go first."

Rick nodded and closed his door. He started the engine and changed gears. He hit the gas and spun the wheel. The car turned around quickly missing the SUV by mere inches.

Rick pulled out as Walter began to talk. "So we're headed to some place in Colorado. Near the Rockies. We're supposed to keep a low profile." Walter watched the road. "Lawrence said you could get us to the airport in time for that flight in a half hour. How so?"

"You'll see." Rick replied.

"You can't possibly get there in time."

"Not in a normal car." Rick returned. "But this car is a Lawrence Special." He realized the pun after the fact and chuckled. (**For anyone who doesn't know cars-There was a Ford Mustang that was called a California Special released in 1968.)**

Walter shook his head. "I need to get a hold of your Sheriff. Rick pointed to the radio. The agent grabbed it and pushed the button.

"I need to speak with Sheriff Anderson."

Rick turned onto the highway. "You might not want to watch the road." Walter frowned at him.

'Who is this?' A voice came back.

"Detective Barnes." Rick raised his voice before Walter answered.

'Right away.' Came the response. Walter looked at Rick.

"Anderson's men won't patch FBI through to him." He explained. Walter rolled his eyes.

Rick opened up the center console and began flipping switches. Walter watched. When the light came on Rick pressed his thumb against the pad.

"Those scientists don't ever stop do they?" Walter asked.

"Nope. It comes in handy most of the time."

'Anderson here.' The radio crackled.

"This is agent Riggs. Barnes and I are on a mission from the FBI. We're taking a flight out of state." Walter replied.

'Is this about that international terrorist ring?' Anderson's voice was groggy but strong.

"Yes sir."

'Do you know how long you'll be gone?'

"No." Walter answered.

'Alright,' a beeping came through the radio and there was a pause. 'Barnes hasn't activated that accursed car of his has he?'

Rick jacked into the radio signal. "I did activate it Sir."

'In a hurry?' Anderson asked a little annoyed.

"We are. We're headin' for airport now." Rick answered.

'Are you crazy?' The sheriff asked. Walter and Rick shared a glance and a grin.

"I ain't crazy Sir, just a man on a mission." Rick replied smiling.

'Whatever. Just don't kill yourselves. Contact me when everything's over.'

"10-4." Rick replied.

Walter put the radio up and looked at the highway. He sucked in a gasp of shock and looked back at the dashboard.

"It's a little unnerving the first time." Rick remarked.

"How fast are we going?"

"About a hundred and twenty miles." Rick replied easily. He changed lanes to avoid a minivan packed for a roadtrip. They passed by with a screeching hiss.

"An hour?" Walter gasped. Rick nodded. "How can you drive that fast?"  
Rick almost looked at Walter to remind him of what Alex and Grant had done to him. "It's no different then racecars." Rick shrugged.

"Race cars don't go this fast on interstates." Walter retorted.

"If you must know, I'm equipped to handle this speed." Rick announced as he changed lanes again. They were approaching the exit for the airport.

"Ah," Walter replied. He tried not to think of Rick in terms of science. It made it easier to ignore uncomfortable facts.

Rick took the exit smoothly and they shot off the freeway Walter held in a yell of fear as they came into a sudden stop at a light. Rick turned into the airport when he saw no one.

They pulled into the parking lot and dashed into the building.


	23. Time to Shut It Down

Four hours in an airplane gave both men just enough time to rest. This time Davidson had called in the two's flight and they got onto the plane without even giving TSA a second glance.

Now they were in a car with two other agents Walter knew in a black Hummer heading towards some mansion at the base of the Rockies.

"Riggs, do you have the NOR's?" The blond man riding shotgun asked looking back.

"Here." Walter passed the man a couple of the cell-phone like devices along with what looked like sunglasses. "That button on top will turn it on and activate the scrambler. After that it does everything for you. The range is only about thirty yards. So keep it on at all times."

The man nodded. "There's only three here." He noted.

"Detective Barnes doesn't need one, remember. That's why he's here." Walter reminded.

"At least we know one of us won't turn into a zombie if these devices fail." The woman driving spoke up. "By the way Detective, I'm Agent Carling."

"Pleasure to meet you ma'am." Rick replied.

Carling giggled. "You really are a gentleman." Rick blushed slightly. "This here is Agent Tomlin. He'll be the one receiving our orders from Davidson. Whatever he says listen to him."

"Will do." Rick replied.

Walter opened up a brief case from under his seat. He pulled out a tiny radio with an earpiece. He stuck the radio into his jacket and then pulled the flesh colored coiled wire behind his right ear fitting the tiny speaker into it. "We use a radio signal that requires a pass-code to even receive it. And I can't let you know it." Walter pulled out another radio and offered it to Rick.

He took it and slipped the device into one of the inner pockets of his coat. He put the piece in his ear. It was unfamiliar to him and he played with it for a few moments until it was as secure as it could get.

"The whole mansion is a façade from what an inside agent told us. It's like a military base bellow. There's at least three underground stories. Abernathy works in the lab most of the time, but he has been God knows where for about six months now. He just returned the other day." Tomlin said.

"Our inside agent is going to scramble the compound's radar for an hour and a half. We'll slip in unnoticed. At that time we'll break into two groups. Barnes and Riggs will search for the main power and cut it. Carling and I will search for any enslaved prisoners. When the power goes we'll release them and you two will create a diversion. Attract attention by causing some damage or even search out Abernathy."

"Affirmative." Walter replied.

"Stay together no matter what. Don't destroy everything. We can still learn a lot from their databanks. And only kill the real bad guys. Even if a NOD civilian pulls a gun on you, your first action is to save them. We need to know what the NOD does in terms of the long run." Tomlin added.

"Passwords are as follows." Carling spoke up. "Talon. That is the word to get into the compound. And when you get to the power grid you'll need to use the code 2529 to access it."

The Hummer pulled up to the start of a dirt road. Carling checked the GPS screen and then turned onto it. "We're about twenty minutes from the target location. Radar indicates no defensive activity."

"We're safe for now. Here." Tomlin handed back a tablet with a building plan laid out. "This is the compound. Try to memorize as much as you can. If you forget where you're going just try to follow someone." Rick didn't think he'd forget. Each level was photographically burned into his memory.

Tomlin then handed back what looked like NOD's. "These are fakes, but if you don't want to get caught right away wear them. It's kind of like a bandage." Rick and Walter took them and peeled off the paper. They carefully stuck them behind their left ears.

The Hummer pulled to a stop. "We're here." Tomlin and Carling put on their own fake NOD's and then the group began to walk in silence.

The compound really did look just like a mansion. In a way it was a lot like the Lawrence estate, except it was double the size. The walls were a warm brown and trimmed with a dark green. There were drawn curtains on all the windows. The door was thick dark wood.

When they got close to the place Rick's HUD buzzed with activity. The dialogue box popped up.

UNDERGROUND FACILITY.

ELECTRONIC SENSORY FIELD.

RADAR DETECTED.

PROXIMITY ALERT: ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS IN PLACE.

APPROACH WITH CAUTION.

"The house itself shouldn't be too hard to infiltrate. But after that we're gonna have to work fast. Try and act like you're following someone else's orders." Tomlin whispered. Everyone nodded.

They entered the building single file. The building looked like a house on the inside, except there were no signs of inhabitants and there was no dust. Tomlin opened the hall door and instead of a closet there was a small circular elevator. It was just big enough for two. There was a keypad on the wall. The shiny silver tube was closed and a single red light glowed around the locking mechanism.

Tomlin motioned for Rick and Walter to go first. "We'll split up from here. Power grid is floor 1." He murmured.

Walter approached the key pad and typed in the word 'talon'. He hit the enter button after a moment. The light changed to green and with a hiss the elevator opened out towards them. Walter and Rick stepped in quickly. Rick was closest to the controls and pushed the level one button.

Carling mouthed 'good luck' as the door swung shut. The tiny tube was now sealed. For a moment nothing happened and then the elevator lurched downwards. Rick and Walter stood shoulder to shoulder in the confined space. The inside was smooth silver metal. The button pad glowed a bright blue and there was a series of holes at the top and bottom of the compartment. For all they knew it could be for releasing poisonous gas into the chamber, or they were just air holes.

Ten seconds and the elevator hung in place. The door opened up into a deserted corridor. Rick checked the first floor diagram floating in his vision where the dialogue box normally was. They didn't have too far to go to find their objective. But they also needed to give the other agents time to get to the third floor. A voice came over the radio.

'Alright. Give us exactly 60 seconds to get to the third floor before you turn off the power. There are stairs between these floors and to an emergency exit that comes out a ways behind the mansion.'

A sixty second timer appeared in the right corner of Rick's vision. "I'm watchin' the time." He whispered to Walter. The other man nodded and then they started walking down the corridor one at a time. Walter led the way. They walked past several adjoining halls without seeing a single person.

They passed a few locked doors and finally came across a young bald man in a crisp grey suit. He looked at them. "State your business down here, and let me see your left ears." He ordered.

"Walking the perimeter." Walter answered. He gave his voice a sense of disconnect." Both men turned their heads allowing full view of their left ears and the fake NOD's.

The man narrowed his eyes as he looked at them and then shrugged. "You may continue." He ordered.

"Yes sir." Walter and Rick answered in unison.

They marched past him and kept on their way. They dared not glance back, by this time the full minute had passed.

Walter finally made a turn into a smaller hall and then in through a door. There was a small empty room. Across it was a door in the wall. The only thing on the smooth steel was a button pad. There were numbers on the buttons and green and red buttons on the side.

Walter stepped to the side, "you unlock the door while I keep watch." He breathed. Rick nodded. He walked to the door and pressed the numbers in order 2-5-2-9 then the green button. A light above the door flashed white and the steel slid across the jam into the wall.

The two stepped inside quickly. Rick and Walter were in a room filled with generators and circuit boxes. A computer bank against the far wall was covered with a series of dials and controls and seated at the computer was a single man. The door to the room slid closed again. There was a similar button pad on this side as well.

The two held their breath.

"Who's in here?" The dark haired man asked. Rick and Walter were at a loss for words. Rick noticed a clip board in a rack on the wall. He pointed at it and Walter grabbed it. Rick reached up and yanked the cord out of a wall camera aimed at the computer bank.

"Here to check up on things." Walter replied in his hollow voice.

The man turned. "You're a little early aren't you?" He looked the two over. "Got the clipboard. Go ahead and read me the checklist." He turned back to the computer.

Walter began listing off the items needing to be checked while Rick came up behind the man silently. Rick's shoes had been equipped with a silencing device that made his approach soundless no matter what he walked on.

"Power Grid A?" Walter asked hollowly.

"100 percent."

"Power Grid B?"

"99 percent, it's been drained a lot in the past half hour."

"Power Grid c?"

"100 percent."

"Radar circuits?"

Rick's hand smashed into his the man's neck before he could answer. The man jolted before slumping over. Rick didn't want to take any chances, they had to make sure he didn't wake up and turn the power back on so he backhanded the man's forehead. The sickening thwack made Rick feel guilty. The man's skin tore a little and a drizzle of blood escaped. Rick pulled him from the seat and averted his gaze.

"How do we shut this all off?" He asked.

"Judging from what this clipboard says all we have to do is cancel the relays." Walter took the seat and looked at the screen. He clicked on a tab that read 'relay access'.

A pop-up asked for a password or key. Walter and Rick shared a look of panic and Rick went to the lying man and searched him for a key. He found a tiny plastic sim card in his pants pocket. He offered it to the agent and shrugged.

Walter looked for a slot to insert it. There was a small dash in the keyboard above the first row of keys. He gently pushed the card in. The pop-up vanished and a new page came up. There was a list of the relays and a slider button to switch them from on to off.

Walter began doing this. A note at the bottom read, 'TO FULLY SHUT OFF RELAYS PLEASE SHUT DOWN EACH CIRCUIT'.

Rick went to the circuit boxes and opened the one marked 'Power Grid A Relays' up. There were a lot of circuits to pop. A warning flashed in his vision. A tiny electric current ran like a force field across the circuits. "Is there a way to access the circuits?" Rick murmured.

Walter's fingers flew across the keys a few seconds and then the field went dead.

Rick used both hands to pop each circuit. He worked quickly. Red warning lights popped up next to each circuit he turned off. He went from box to box as quickly as he could. Slowly lights, generators, and cameras went off. The computer banks grew quiet until finally there was nothing. The lights in the ceiling winked out.

Rick and Walter were in total darkness. Rick's eyes glowed for a brief moment as the night vision kicked in. Walter shuddered at the sight and then returned to the task.

"How are we getting out of here?" The FBI agent asked. He knew he didn't have the power to force the door open.

"First, here." Rick approached and placed something in Walter's hand. "These are what Alex calls Flash-Glasses. They work in the opposite way sunglasses do. Instead of darkening what you see, they make it brighter."

Walter pulled them to his face and carefully put them on. As soon as he had put them over his nose he could see the room. It wasn't daylight bright, more like a room during sundown at about the time most people would turn on the lights.

"I'm guessing these are the other devices Lawrence sent me with?"

"Yep."

"You know, I'm beginning to like those two." Walter said.

"It's kind of fun gettin' to test out their inventions." Rick admitted. He walked to the sealed door and glanced at it for a few moments. "We're in luck. This thing has a manual release."

Walter stepped up, "Great," Rick suddenly braced his legs and grabbed two handles embedded in the door. With a grunt Rick yanked the door to the side. It squealed against the metal floor as it slid halfway. Walter squeezed through followed by Rick.

They heard footsteps racing through the halls. "Guess they're trying to fix it." Walter commented. "We should prevent them from turning the power back on." He added as an afterthought.

"Got it covered." Rick turned around to the door and pulled out a handgun. He pointed it at the computer bank. His HUD targeted a critical point that wouldn't blow up or start a fire. He pulled the trigger and the keyboard shattered.

They turned and headed down the halls. They avoided the men operating the compound who were running blindly through the halls. Their radios crackled. 'Agent Carling is guiding three dozen prisoners out right now. We just made a sweep of the second floor. Time to make some noise boys.'


	24. Enter Villain

Rick and Walter set the flash-bangs and waited. When they went off like fireworks people shrieked. Neither one was really worried about the damage they were probably doing. An alarm went off as a few emergency lights here and there came on. Men ran covering their faces completely blind now. They ran into walls or each other helter-skelter.

Walter chuckled a little at their behavior. "You'd think a group of terrorists would be better prepared."

Rick didn't answer. After a few moments a group of armed men appeared on either side of them. Shots rang out passing their ears. A few bullets bounced off of Rick's hat. One nicked his ear. Walter's sleeve split as a bullet grazed his shoulder. Another whizzed by his neck. A gravelly voice over their belt radios gave a single command. "Kill them!"

Rick sighed, "Looks like we ain't got a choice," He said as he pulled out another gun. Rick took a few shots relieving the men of their guns, but they weren't as easily frightened as the members of the Purist Reich. They grabbed their guns again and went back to attacking. There was only one option to get out of this sea of enemies alive, it wasn't a very humane option, but then again they had been fired on first.

For the next few minutes their guns were the only voices in the hall. As Tomlin had said, they were the bad guys and it was time to clean house.

Blood spattered on the walls, and guns clambered to the metal floor. Walter squeezed off taking steps backwards towards Rick who was doing the same thing.

When there was no one else Rick looked at the aftermath disgustedly. "It's a shame they let their lives go to waste."

"Yes, but the FBI can't afford to arrest and let them go to trial. Most likely juries will let them off and they'll return to work for the remnants of who escaped."

Rick nodded. "I know. I just don't like the idea of killin' all these people."

"We'll capture who we can and make them pay, but if we don't take out a few men here and there we won't have a chance of success. These guys won't turn and run, they'll die for their cause."

"Then let's find Abernathy." Rick said with resolve. Stepping over the fallen terrorists they continued deeper into the compound. The maze like structure of the first floor lead to a far end where a large unmarked room was. Walter figured it was probably the place Abernathy would be hiding in.

The two men met resistance along the way that slowly thinned out as their guns exploded with resounding echoes.

* * *

Agent Carling lifted the phone to her ear again and spoke evenly. "Yes. 38 victims. I'm moving them from the compound now." She flipped it closed and looked back at the shrinking frame of the mansion. "Everybody keep moving!" She yelled. The men and women who had been unknowingly working in the facility raced as quickly as they could.

They were so frightened and confused. Carling felt bad for them. Poor folks didn't even know where they were, how long they'd been enslaved, or even that they had been enslaved.

She kept up the rear making sure everyone got away safely as they rushed into the brushy fields at the base of the mountain range. Some people raced along without any care for what was happening. Carling wanted them as far away as they could get before the FBI dropped down on the place. No matter what happened they wanted Abernathy, so they'd started with a few men to get in and cause trouble, to remove the innocent. If the mission went awry they would have to sacrifice they're own men and kill Abernathy.

The NOD's couldn't get around the world, it was too dangerous to leave the compound standing. If they captured Abernathy and cleared out the compound they would destroy it after they had seized what they could. If Abernathy was too hard to get, then they would blow him sky high. The FBI had chosen not to tell Rick and Walter. If they didn't make it out, they would be martyrs for the cause.

Carling hearded the people away from the mountains into the open plains. That way when the helicopters landed they knew who they were picking up.

* * *

Rick and Walter burst through a door into a large office/lab combo. A man with grey brown hair and bright dark eyes was waiting. He sat at a desk with several computer monitors on it. He was a big man tall and wide with a threatening air about him. "Welcome gentlemen." The man's voice was the same gravelly tone with a slight British accent they had heard from the radio.

A steel door slammed shut behind the two men. They glanced back and both almost laughed at themselves.

"Feelin' stupid?" Rick asked under his breath.

"Just as stupid as you do." Walter replied.

"You both realize your mistake. Good." He stood up. He was dressed in a pair of grey slacks and a black button down shirt. His hands were behind his back as he smiled at them. "As you know, I am Charles Abernathy. Won't you sit down? You have nothing better to do since I've got you."

"Don't flatter yourself." Walter spat.

Abernathy frowned. "Don't wear out your welcome Agent Riggs." He looked at Rick. "I had hoped you would be out of the picture by now. But it looks as if I have you to deal with as well." He pushed a button on a keyboard with his left hand. A low thrum emitted from the ceiling as an electromagnetic wall separating the would-be heroes from their enemy came on. Rick took a few quick steps backwards.

"I believe you're well aware of the danger Detective?" The man asked. Rick nodded his head slightly. The dialogue box was flashing a warning in bold red letters.

DANGER!

PROXIMITY TO ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE FIELD WARNING.

"Good. Then I believe we have an understanding. Now sit." He ordered. Walter and Rick glanced around. There were a couple of chairs on either side. They sat down. "Now would you like to explain why you've snuck in, turned most of the power out, and killed a great deal of my men?"

"You know why." Walter answered.

"I do. You FBI agents are here to stop me." Abernathy shifted legs. "But did you think I would be so vulnerable that your attack would not be part of my own plans?" He pushed a button on a speaker and spoke. "Bring in the agent."

A side door opened and two men brought in a younger man. He was bloodied and bruised.

"You didn't think he'd go unnoticed?" Abernathy asked.

"Linson!" Walter yelled. The man looked at the two and shook his head.

"You guys should have left already. The FBI will blow this place up with or without you." Linson was weak but angry.

Walter and Rick shared a startled look of surprise. Davidson, Carling, and Tomlin hadn't told them about that.

"I see you weren't informed about such plans." Abernathy smiled. "Perhaps this is a moment to offer you a way out."

"Don't listen to him." Linson warned.

"Quiet." One of the men holding Linson punched him in the jaw. Linson spat blood onto the metal floor a tooth falling with it.

"Now, Riggs, Barnes, here is my one and only offer. I will let you live, if you agree to go with me. I will take you with me to my next stop. You will be prisoners, but I can use you. If the FBI thinks you are dead then you will be able to get me certain access codes and insight on the organization. And you Barnes, with you under my strict care there will be no one immune to my devices."

"Do you expect me to turn against my own people?" Walter asked indignant.

"No, I expect you'll want to keep alive so that someday you may return to your sweetheart back home." Abernathy replied.

"Who said I even have a girlfriend?" Walter asked coolly.

"Oh perhaps there is a gentleman you are close to then?"

Walter's cheeks grew red and hot. "No way."

"If you don't have any weaknesses perhaps I can work on your friend here." Abernathy smiled.

Rick gritted his teeth. He didn't think he could stay cool if Abernathy mentioned Penny. Eight years had irrevocably made a father out of him.

"You do love that little experiment that calls you daddy don't you?" Rick bit down on his tongue hard. The pain helped him keep a hold of his thoughts, he wasn't going to be baited. "Or do you just pretend to be a father to fulfill your purpose in life?"

"He doesn't pretend to do anything." Walter retorted.

"I think you forget that this _cyborg_ was put together for the purpose of caring for that perfect little brat. I know where you live. I will destroy the child after I kill you. If you agree to come with me, I spare her sorry life."

Rick tasted his own blood in his mouth and spat. Abernathy laughed. "Biting your tongue to keep quiet?" Rick just glowered.

"What about Linson. Are you going to make the same offer to him?" Walter broke in. He was trying to distract everyone.

"I don't need Linson. He's been of great use to me already. You two don't understand what I am telling you." He raised his right hand. He wore a gauntlet with talons on the ends of the fingers. It was shiny silver and spiked on the knuckles. He motioned for the men to bring Linson over to him.

"Allow me to demonstrate exactly what position you are in."

They dragged Linson in front of the desk. Abernathy poised his right arm in front of Linson's chest.

"NO!" Walter screamed as the silver gauntlet drove into the agent's chest. Linson gasped and choked as blood stained his chest. Abernathy ripped the bloody gauntlet from the man's chest. Blood pooled in Linson's open mouth. He stared blankly at the other two as he slumped forward.

"Tell Maria I'm sorry I won't be coming…" His voice died away. Walter was on his feet his gun raised.

"You bastard!" The agent yelled as a tear slid down his cheek. "He was getting married in September." Now it was Walter's turn to keep his control. He turned away from the body lying on the floor and the murderer.

"You don't get it. I have you. You will do as I say or pay the consequences." Abernathy fired back.

"I won't do anything for a murderous bastard like you!" Walter returned not looking at the man he was yelling at.

"Do you want to kill me?" Abernathy asked.

Walter spun around. He was angry and armed. His gun fired off and one of the men who had dragged in Linson fell a hole in his forehead. Walter fired again. This time the other man fell face forward his chest exploding with blood.

Rick got up and grabbed his partner's shoulders. "Stop it." He urged. Walter looked at him a fire in his eyes. "Let it go. He would have killed him no matter what." Rick murmured. "We've got to figure this one out." He added in a whisper. "We both make it out or we both go down." Rick's grey eyes pleaded for Walter to cool it.

Walter nodded. "Right."


	25. Fighting for Your Life

Tomlin caught up with Carling. "Where are Riggs and Barnes?" She asked.

"They were captured." He replied tightly.

"Shouldn't we try to save them?" She asked turning to face back towards the compound. "We should do something." Her green eyes filled with worry.

Tomlin shook his head sadly, "The helicopters are here. It's too late for them. We have to accept the cost of protecting the world."

"God help them." Carling whispered as she turned away.

Rick and Walter stood as close as Rick dared get to the electromagnetic wall. "This is what happens," Abernathy said wiping the blood off of his gauntlet. "When you mess with me."

Rick looked at the ceiling where the field was generated. Walter followed his gaze. He lifted his gun and shot at it. The bullet ricocheted off with a ping and flew into the floor by his feet.

"A good try, but a poor one." Abernathy laughed.

Abernathy came close and stuck his hand through the almost invisible field. Rick pulled back out of reach. He wanted to get out of this alive, and an EMP field was about the quickest way for him to fail at that goal.

Walter stood his ground and punched Abernathy before dashing backwards. The man laughed. "Cheap, but a good shot." Walter aimed his gun at him.

"You stay back or I will kill you." Walter demanded.

Rick didn't think the threat was going to give any reaction. "My dear FBI agent, you don't think I come to a fight unprepared?" Abernathy chuckled. "At this point you're just amusing. I may keep you alive no matter what just to make me laugh every now and again."

"I'll committ suicide before I give you ant satisfaction for what you've done." Walter growled.

"We'll choose death over a life of captivity." Rick murmured. "It is nobler to die for our friends than let our fear of you control us."

"Do you fear me?" Abernathy asked with a smile.

"No, but I fear what will happen if you take over the world." Rick replied quietly. "You're a threat I plan to stop, wether I survive the process or not."

"That's how it is Abernathy." Walter said firmly. "Our only offer."

Abernathy dove through the field slamming his clawed gauntlet into Walter's right leg. Walter screamed in pain. The two slid against the wall. Rick rushed Abernathy wrenching him from the agent.

Walter grabbed his bloodied leg trying to get control of the bleeding. Abernathy sent Rick backwards with a kick. "You honestly believe that you two can make it out of here alive?"

"That's what we aim to do." Rick replied pulling out his guns. He fired several consecutive shots. To Rick's annoyance the bullets were deflected by something under Abernathy's clothes. He guarded his face with the bloodied metal glove.

Abernathy began to move forward. Rick back stepped. He activated the laser in his finger and made a slash in the hopes of cutting Abernathy's gauntlet arm and all off. The beam sliced into the man's flesh just above the rim of the steel plating.

Abernathy grunted as Rick kept up the beam. The scent of burning flesh choked the air as an acrid smoke rose up from whatever bullet proof material burned away as well. After a few moments Abernathy's hand hung limply held on by just a small portion of muscle. Rick made a final swipe and the arm fell to the ground with a clatter.

Rick was both disgusted with himself and appalled by the little effect this attack had. Surely the man was in a great deal of pain. Of course the ehat of the lazer cauterized the wound and stopped any bloodloss, but for Abernathy to just stand there unflinching made a shiver run down Rick's spine.

Abernathy put a hand on the now stump laughing. "A well played attack. You've at least succeeded in rendering me less dangerous."

He charged Rick who tried putting a few bullets in the man, but the guns were empty. He dropped them and met the terrorist with both hands. The force pushed them both backwards. Abernathy tactfully turned so that Rick was pointed for the field. Abernathy was strong even with only one hand and the two were well matched against each other. A shoving match wasn't much of a fight, but it was all Rick could do for the moment. He had to focus on holding his enemy back. He knew that if he lost focus now it would be a disaster.

He shoved back relying on all his strength. But he didn't have much left. The laser used a lot of energy to run and had drained him considerably. He needed time to collect his thoughts and think of a new attack. He had to figure out some way of immobilizing the bigger man.

Walter watched the two men struggle as he bandaged up his ravaged leg. From the looks of the damage he was pretty sure they'd be chopping it off. For one thing he couldn't feel it bellow the top most gash in his thigh. Walter's hands shook as he tied shreds of his suit jacket into tight knots. It was too late to be concerned about the damage cutting off circulation might cause.

"You can stop him Rick!" Walter yelled. He picked up his gun and checked it. Just two shots left. He took aim wincing at the pain from adjusting his body to get a clear shot. He fired into Abernathy's leg. The murderer gasped and turned his head towards the injured man. Walter's gun lowered considerably. His fight was leaving him with every second and the look in the terrorist's eyes was so evil it frightened the grown FBI agent.

"You'll have to do better." Abernathy announced. Blood trickled down the side of his calf, but he wasn't in pain or losing strength. He was like the god dam Energizer Bunny.

Rick heaved against the madman hoping the bullet would give him some leverage. Abernathy was ready and even though he wrestled with only one arm he ducked under Rick's lunge and drove into Rick's abdomen. As the wind was knocked out of him he lost his balance.

The two were now inches from the electromagnetic pulse wall. Rick could feel some of his circuits reacting to the energy as certain feelings flashed on and off. The HUD wavered. Abernathy put a foot on Rick's and used his hand to push the cyborg's head towards the energy.

Rick squirmed and fought to keep from touching the wall. He couldn't get the weapons system to operate properly. His head inched closer the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end from the energy. Abernathy smiled, "As soon as I get you through that field I win."

Rick's neck and back popped sickeningly as his spinal cord was stretched. He hoped none of the necessary connections to his nervous system came loose. His neck felt like it was going to give any second now. His jaw ached as his teeth were crushed against each other. His eyes were rolling to the back of his head. He could just see Abernathy's face.

"You're history Inspector Gadget." Abernathy growled. "Once I prove that you're precious creators work is weak they won't ever deal with cybernetics again and there won't be anyone to stop me in my plans for world domination."

"No." Rick gasped. He tried to activate anything. The fedora was lying on the floor a few feet away. He could just vaguely get a connection. He focused his thoughts on the helicopter. If he could activate that then maybe he had a chance.

The hat shook as it opened up and the mechanism began to expand. Walter scooted back as he tried to keep from passing out. Abernathy didn't notice anything until Rick grunted one word. "Contact!" He managed while kicking at Abernathy's injured leg.

The propeller began to spin and the engine started up. Abernathy frowned and looked back in surprise. The hat rose up haphazardly and made an upward climb it came within inches of the two combatants. Abernathy ducked and Rick punched him in the neck. His enemy lost his grip on him and Rick flung Abernathy forward ducking to the ground as the hat flew over and into the field.

He turned to watch it fall to the ground sparking and useless.

Abernathy came up holding his severed arm. He swung it into Rick's face. He felt his skin tear open and blood dripped down. It caught in his left eye and stung, but he could still see. He activated the machine gun and raised his arm to take the shot, Abernathy swung the arm again into the barrel which snapped.

Rick felt something akin to pain in his arm as sparks shot out of the sawed off barrel. The useless gun tried to disassemble itself and it slowly vanished back into his arm painfully. The effort left him unable to move for a few short seconds. He knew he was getting his ass kicked, but he wasn't ready to give up.

Abernathy had turned and was swiping the metal claws into Walter's mauled leg again. Walter had saved his final bullet and put it into Abernathy's cheek as he yelled in torture once more.


	26. With Victory Comes Sacrifice

Abernathy merely stepped backwards a little shocked but not suddenly passed out the way someone would normally be. Also Abernathy's face hadn't exploded in a shower of blood and bone. Obviously the man was a monster of his own design.

Walter's thigh was now a mess of shredded muscle, bone, and blood. His pants were no more than ribbons.

Rick charged the man from behind and got him to the ground. Abernathy drove an elbow into his gut and brought the talons in an arc that smacked the side of his head.

Rick stumbled away confused and dizzy. A muffled "Wha?" Escaped his lips as he pulled back from Abernathy's deadly claw.

Again Rick was knocked in the head. He blinked back tears of pain that came with the shock. He couldn't focus. The targeting array and dialogue box swam in his vision.

Another solid _thwack!_ Rick's eyes rolled back and he swung from side to side. His left eye suddenly lit up in pain. A sharp needle like pain that progressively got worse as Rick continued to face an onslaught of beatings. Pretty soon something critical was going to snap or pop and it would be lights out for the detective.

Walter was on his way to unconsciousness but still had to do something. Without Rick there was no hope for either man. He looked around and his hands tightened around the metal leg of the cheap chair he'd sat in earlier. With a grunt of effort he lifted it over himself in a haphazard arc that ended abruptly atop Abernathy's head. The thunk that came with it startled Rick a little. This gave him some adrenaline to burn off the confusion. Abernathy snarled at Walter and was about to beat the agent to a bloody pulp too.

Rick managed to force his shoulder against Abernathy's back. The two went crashing into the wall. It was the first time Abernathy struggled to recover from a hit. Rick saw it as an opening and scrambled to his feet.

Now it was Rick's turn. From a safer distance Rick's own fist extended to his enemy's face. He felt the strong bone against his synthetic skin and wondered what the man had done to himself. Rick was a mite bit stronger than most, but nothing as ridiculous as this.

Rick's fist only succeeded in turning the villain's face a lovely shade of bluish-black.

Abernathy made to charge again but Rick had just enough space to think of a counter attack in time. He grinned at Abernathy who almost paused a little put off by Rick's sudden confidence in whatever attack he had come up with.

"Time to say G'night." Rick whispered to his foe.

His left arm opened up and the fifty cal muzzle swung out. He locked onto Abernathy's chest and the round fired out suddenly. Abernathy was thrust into the wall by the sheer force. No blood spattered though. Rick had been tossed backwards by the force. His left arm passed through the field and was now completely useless.

He pulled it back and swore as he stood up. Abernathy was finally down for the count. Rick raised his arm and looked at it. Sparks popped and sizzled before fading away.

The synthetic skin had been burned in a couple spots creating blackened holes revealing the steel frame. His shoulder felt oddly numb and he rotated it. He thanked his good fortune that the EMP shut-off in his shoulder had worked properly.

Alex had anticipated a great number of threats and built it in to each limb. If they even went a half an inch into an EMP the entire limb would be disconnected from the rest of Rick's body to prevent the overload from traveling into the life support systems.

Walter was almost unconscious. He'd lost too much blood.

Rick looked around and sighed. The battle was over, but they still had to get out of there. Walter couldn't move and Rick was a dead man with that field. He went to Walter and knelt.

"Hey, Walter," Rick shook his shoulder.

"We're toast aren't we?" Walter asked in a slurred voice.

"We ain't beat yet." Rick assured. "We just need to find out how to shut down that field or open the door."

Walter shook his head. "No clue how."

Rick looked at the man's leg and grimaced. "We've got to get you out of here."

"It's bad right? I know it'll have to be amputated."

"Can you stand up if you lean on me?" Rick asked.

The two worked for a moment and after some painful maneuvering the two were up. Walter leaned heavily against Rick's right side his partner's arm around his waist to keep him up. "What a sorry pair we are." Walter murmured. "No bullets, no weapons, no way out."

Rick looked around. The computers on the other side of the room were still on. "Maybe if we could crash those computers?" He asked. Walter nodded then his brow furrowed. "How about that gun?" Rick pointed to the one lying under the two goons Walter had killed in his fury.

"How?" Walter couldn't finish the question.

"You go through the field and shoot the computers back there." Rick answered.

Walter bit his lower lip then sucked in a breath. "It's all we've got."

Rick lowered him to the floor almost against the field. Walter grimaced as he dragged his destroyed leg across the floor. He grunted as he moved inches at a time across the floor.

He made it to the gun, lifted it, and aimed at the computers. He shot the gun several times. The computers exploded in showers of sparks and circuitry. The last one blew up and started a fire. The field shut off and the door slid open. Rick waited a moment before crossing the room to Walter. He helped him up. "What about Abernathy?" Rick asked.

"Let me call Tomlin." Walter replied. "Tomlin?"

The response came through to them both. 'Riggs? Are you alive?'

"You have to give us time. We incapacitated Abernathy, he's alive, and so are we." Rick picked up the hat on the ground and sighed. He couldn't take it with him, not with the helicopter sticking out of it.

'I'll see what I can do.' Carling broke in. Her voice was brimmed with relief.

A few seconds passed.

'You guys are safe. Get out of there, their sending in a couple guys to get Abernathy. Which floor and room is he in?'

"First floor. The unnamed room." Walter replied heavily.

'We'll see you soon.' Carling said before the radios went dead.

The two men hurried limping and struggling through the doorway. They went as fast as they could. Rick was beginning to feel woozy. The blood dripping down his face wasn't slowing. His vision was blurred by the dark red liquid and they tried to hurry along.

Several times they ended up hitting themselves into a wall or tripped over a body.

The stairs were no better. Rick had to lift Walter up several stairs and then climb up them. This slowed their journey a lot and the agents coming in for Abernathy passed them by. "Linson is dead." Walter added as they rushed by without looking at them. "His body is in the same room."

They looked at Walter for a brief second without pause and nodded.

* * *

When they finally emerged there were helicopters and agents everywhere. Rick and Walter made a b-line for a group of paramedics. Carling rushed up to the two men and gasped. "What happened?" She asked gawking at their wounds and useless limbs in shock.

"We were in an all out fight for our lives." Walter answered.

"Abernathy is like a grizzly bear." Rick added. "He was ready for us, knew how to get to us, had our attacks pegged, even knew what our weaknesses were."

"Dr. Lawrence is already flying in." Carling told him. "She was worried you'd get yourself torn up."

"She's goin' to kill me." Rick murmured. Walter laughed.

"Don't forget her sister." They both shared a dry chuckle as Carling and Tomlin helped Walter to the paramedics.

Rick made his way slower and when the young woman offered to care for his wounds he pointed to his bleeding face. "Just take care of this."

She cleaned the wound and then dropped her cloth. "Is there some kind of metal plate in your face?" She asked in concern.

"Yes." Rick answered. She relaxed and brought out a needle and medical thread.

"Would you like something for the pain?"

"No. Jus sew me up." Rick replied. He was tired, and though he was in pain in a number of places he didn't want any medicine.

She worked quickly, sewing the skin above his eyebrow all the way down to his lip. The talons had carved four jagged lines through his face. He watched as the paramedics began on Walter. As the agent had assumed they were already working on removing the leg. It couldn't heal and he was losing too much blood.

They left Walter awake as they began to saw off the leg almost at his hip. The man was held down by Carling and Tomlin as he yelled out in a reaction to the new pain. Rick stood up from the bed and walked towards his friend.

He and the agent hadn't gotten off well at the start, but they'd become partners through their missions in recent weeks. Rick kind of liked him, even if he was an FBI agent. He had proven to be a decent guy.

Walter looked at him. "Jeez it hurts like a mother." Walter gasped to him. Rick nodded. The saw stopped and someone pulled away the mangled leg and dumped it into a biobag. They began sewing up veins and muscle tissue. Several hands at once weaving needles through the bloody flesh while another man poured a solution onto the jagged stump. The disinfectant was strong and Walter's eyes rolled back. He was going to pass out. Someone brought a bag of blood and inserted a needle into his arm.

Walter closed his eyes and his body relaxed as he went into a heavy sleep.


	27. A Moment in the Aftermath

Jessica walked into the waiting area and offered one of the two coffee cups to the haggard woman seated in a chair. "We look like crap." Jess said noting the woman's red puffy eyes, dark shadows under the eyes, and the low hasty ponytail. By now much of the hair had fallen out of the little nylon band in wisps that hung around her head. Jess knew she looked no better, she just hadn't cried as much and her hair was an uncombed mess around her head.

"Neither one of us looks us bad as the men we're here for." Her companion answered accepting the coffee.

"True." Jess admitted sitting next to the almost stranger. "So Melissa what's your last name?"

"Granger." Melissa answered trying to shove some of her hair back out of her face. "You're Alex Lawrence's half-sister right?"

Jess giggled. "We're half siblings yes, but we grew up together, we usually just introduce ourselves as sisters. We have the same last name."

Melissa nodded.

A silence fell over the two. They sipped coffee for a while.

"Is your sister still fighting with the hospital?" Melissa asked.

"No. Davidson stepped in and made the Chief of Medicine give her the proper amount of energy and all." Jessica replied.

"Davidson does that a lot." Melissa said with a half smile. "He likes to throw his weight around."

"I think in this case it was a good idea. I still wish they'd let Alex pay to have Rick moved to the Estate. She hates working with spectators."

"I don't think they could move either of those two right now." Melissa said.

"Maybe not, but it makes me nervous. They only let us in for a few hours."

"And then we wait out here while our men are monitored and worked on." Melissa finished for her. The women shared a smile. Jess looked over at the sleeping girl wrapped up in her father's leather jacket. Her eyes were red even in her sleep.

"Poor kid." Melissa murmured. "She just fell asleep laying there while you were getting coffee."

"Penny's not used to so much action. It's been a long thirty six hours. Rick's never been in such a situation before."

"Working with the FBI can do that." Melissa whispered. "It's a shame Linson wasn't so fortunate. Maria is such a nice young woman. Quiet too. She must be devastated."

"And here we are complaining about the FBI when we still have our men to worry about." Jess looked away.

"We're in love." Melissa said kindly, "With men who have chosen to walk dangerous paths."

"I know."

Footsteps in the hall. Alex rushed towards them a glower on her face. She came to a halt and spun on her heals her fiery hair a mess. She glared at the reporters following her. "It's 7 am, I have a lot of work to do. You want to see my work? Call me in six weeks!" She turned back to the women.

"Jessica, Melissa," She greeted. The women stood up.

"While Grant's been looking over Walter's injuries and making sure he's ok, he had a suggestion. I can't guarantee the FBI will clear it, but I want to offer Walter an option." Alex spoke quickly.

"You mean a cybernetic option?" Melissa asked. She seemed to have mixed emotions. Alex nodded. "I guess you'd have to ask Walter. It's his choice."

"But if he accepts my offer are you going to have issues?" Alex asked. "I don't want to ruin your relationship."

"No. It's a very generous offer. It would be a blessing for him to keep his work." Melissa answered.

Alex smiled. "I'm glad to hear that." She turned to her sister. "I need these intern wannabes and newspaper hounds out of my operating room. And I need it now. I don't know how Rick damaged so much of himself, but I have to get it fixed and now." Jessica nodded.

"We'll handle them." Melissa replied. "And tell your husband thank you for taking care of Walter. I didn't know he had a Medical Degree."

Alex grinned. "He's the Doctor, I'm the Bioengineer. We balance each other out nicely." Alex turned toward the group of eight or nine people who had been following her. "Doctor coming through!" She yelled.

They made a path for her as Jess giggled. "If you'll all please come over here?" She called. They looked at her. No one made a move. "I can answer questions for you, I'm Dr. Lawrence's sister."

People slowly came closer. Some glanced back towards the doors Alex had disappeared through. "Everyone please, Lawrence is quite busy and requires complete silence to focus on her work." Melissa added. Jess smiled at her. For being complete strangers they sure were getting along fine.

"What questions can you answer?" One man asked. He wore a button with a local newspaper logo.

"Shoot." Jessica replied.

"Is Lawrence looking to start a new research foundation?" A woman yelled out.

"No."

"How about if she's planning on furthering her experiments with cybernetics?"

"These aren't experiments." Jessica replied coldly.

"Did the FBI hire her to create a cybernetic weapons system?" Melissa and Jess shared a perturbed glance.

"Alright!" Melissa shouted. "That's enough. Everybody out before I call the FBI in!"

At that moment Davidson walked in. He was in a crisp suit and looked like he was sleeping well. "Davidson!" The two called. He looked at them and at the crowd throwing questions at them, "You've got to get rid of these people." Melissa begged. "They won't let Dr. Lawrence and Dr. Grant do their work."

Davidson nodded. He had begrudgingly begun to respect the scientist s and their work. After all it had saved lives and helped catch a terrorist. He turned a stony face to the people. "Get out or I will have you all arrested for trespassing." People began to hurry.

"Thank you." Jessica said as Davidson walked down the hall.

Melissa began pacing. "Now we go back to waiting." She murmured.


	28. The Long Road to Recovery

**A/N: LAST CHAPTER! This has been such a journey. It's been a long time writing it. I started this in 2012 and got several chapters in before losing steam. It waas Jan of this year that I decided to pick it up again and actually did something with it. Had some inspiration from other Gadget authors, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, my sister, and my always expanding music playlist. **

**THANK YOU! Thank you my loyal readers! I have three readers whom I aboslutely love! Thank you BookwormGal, KnightWriter, and Aline Riva! You have kept me going when I felt this story was worthless. **

**Future Plans: THIS HAS BECOME A TRILOGY SO FAR. The next volume is coming in a few days! I already finished it! Currently just started the third and have tentative plans for a fourth! THANK YOU ALL AGAIN!**

* * *

Rick walked into the room quietly. "Hey." He whispered.

Walter smiled slightly. "You look like crap." Rick nodded in agreement. He forced himself not to finger the eye patch or bandages covering most of the left side of his face. The lens in his left eye had cracked when Abernathy struck him in the face. Alex had disconnected the optical nerves and covered the eye until she could get it fixed.

"I'm here on behalf of a friend." Rick began. "Who has an offer for you." Walter's brow furrowed.

"What kind of offer?"

"The kind of offer that doesn't come around often." Rick replied. He sat down on the chair and ran a hand through his messy hair. He hadn't had a chance to do anything about his appearance. It had been hard enough to get dressed with only one arm. The sweats and t-shirt were loose on his lean figure. He leaned slightly to the right, unbalanced by the missing limb.

Alex had taken it off completely. She would have to build a new one from scratch. Until then he would have to deal.

"I'm listening." Walter tried to sit up and grimaced.

"Alex already cleared this with your superiors. She wants to use her talents to replace your right leg."

It took a moment for the words to sink in. After all Walter was recovering from a huge loss of blood. He was sure he had misheard Rick, but no, he'd heard his friend just fine. His ears hadn't been damaged in the fight.

"You mean cybernetics?" Walter asked a little surprised. "What kind?"

"Just a leg. It'll be exactly like the one you lost. No extra strength, no funky built in weapons." Rick assured with a half smile. He could imagine the horror of thinking Alex would just go ahead and play with a leg like Tim Taylor had played with tools on TV.

"And how am I supposed to afford that?" Walter asked. "My insurance is having a conniption over the amputation already." He couldn't even imagine what it would cost. Cybernetics were still yet to be accepted for commercial use and that meant that they were extremely expensive. If anything it was compassionate use that they could claim on such a form of treatment.

"Alex will fund it herself." Rick answered. "It's expensive now, but she hopes in a few years it will be a common option for patients."

"I'd have to think about it." Walter replied wincing. "I just don't know. I'm touched by the gesture, but I just don't know." He didn't admit that he wanted to talk to Melissa. He wondered how she felt about such a form of treatment. Also he was still a great deal uncomfortable with the whole concept.

He was staring at a man with mechanical body parts in the face and it still felt like science fiction to him.

"Take your time. Alex says it'll be at least a month before she can even begin to start on you. You're going to have to heal up first."

"Then I guess I can think it over nice and long."

"I have one other thing to tell you." Rick added. "Abernathy used some kind of gene therapy to strengthen himself up. His skin was so tough it barely reacted to a 50 Cal round with a bullet proof vest on. Alex is sure he had some kind of biologist working for him for a while but there isn't any evidence to prove the theory. She managed to get a blood sample off of our clothes from the fight and she's going crazy over everything he had done to himself."

"Figures. It was like taking down a bear." Walter replied with a yawn. He felt so tired. He was tired, uncomfortable, and really worried about his future. The stress alone was exhausting.

"I'll let you rest." Rick said standing up. "Besides, Jess'll kill me if she finds me out of bed." He quirked a smile. He had to admit that he too was wiped. A few hours of sleep sounded like a vision of heaven.

Walter managed a slight chuckle. "Tell Alex I'm considering her offer."

"That I will do."


End file.
